"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Revenge!" Review (Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Also reviews for the latest episodes of Teen Titans Go!, DC Super Hero Girls, The Flash, Arrow, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, Lucifer, iZombie, Marvel's Agent Carter, The Muppets, The Lion Guard, Girl Meets World, The Simpsons, The X-Files, Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, Bob's Burgers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Family Guy, American Dad!, Bordertown, The Shannara Chronicles, You Me And The Apocalypse, Colony, and The Blacklist, as well as the next 8 episodes of Blindspot.

Upcoming reviews include Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Blu-Ray), Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1, Ant-Man (Blu-Ray), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), X-Men: Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, The Lion Guard: Revenge Of The Roar (DVD), Inside Out (Blu-Ray), The Good Dinosaur (Blu-Ray), Star Wars Rebels: Season 1, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack Of The Legion Of Doom, Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem, Teen Titans Go!: House Pests, Batman: Bad Blood, Arrow: Season 3, The Flash: Season 1, Gotham: Season 1, iZombie: Season 1, Be Cool Scooby Doo!: Spooky Kooky Fun!, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies: Extended Edition, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 1: Water, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire, Haven: Season 5 - Vol. 1, Under The Dome: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 2, Doctor Who: Dark Water / Death In Heaven, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 2, The Jurassic Park Trilogy, Jurassic World, Back To The Future: The Complete Animated Series, Tremor 5: Bloodlines, Shaun The Sheep Movie (Blu-Ray), 12 Monkeys: Season 1, Grimm: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 4, and Mulholland Dr..



Teen Titans Go! "How 'Bout Some Effort"

Do the know the worst part of everyone pretending Gizmo was a baby against his will? The fact that is WASN'T just Jinx and Cyborg, but the rest of the Titans too? Gizmo is so small and powerless without his gadgets, there is no way he could actually stop it. That's hilarious, dark, and a bit depressing. This is this kid's life now. And the others won't let him forget it.

Beast Boy, Robin, and Cyborg taking a bath together was another instance of the show being subversive, but it was one of those instances where the subversion worked. The "Family Bath" concept on Ren And Stimpy was still one of the funniest things about it.

I liked it. ****.

Teen Titans Go! "Pyramid Scheme"

On the one hand, I don't think Pyramid schemes are something little kids can relate to, and this is another example of the show attacking an adult problem it doesn't actually need to. On the other hand, this was probably the clearest and simplest explanation of Pyramids Schemes, how they work, and how they rip people off I've ever seen. So even if the show would do better to stick to kiddie topics, it's not like an adult show has ever done a better expose on Pyramid Schemes. I'll allow it. ****1/2.

DC Super Hero Girls "Saving The Day"

Let me get this straight: Cheetah purposefully endangers the life of a teacher, and her punishment for it is detention? Idiotic. Still, the animation was nice this episode. **.




The Flash "Escape From Earth-2"

Surprised Earth-2 Killer Frost made it out of the episode alive, but that fact actually gives me hope.

Iris has some family in Atlantis? Interesting.

Grant Gustin is SUCH a gifted comic actor. Earth-2 Barry is a stitch. Did the other Barry get fresh with you? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!

Jay's death was seemingly tragic, but perhaps there is something larger going on. Is Earth-1 Jay the Man in the Iron Mask? Or is he actually Zoom himself? TBD.

I'm glad it was Earth-2 Barry who gave our Barry the pep talk at the end. That seemed appropriate.

This didn't quite live up to last week, but looking back on it, there wasn't really any way it could. Still great. ****1/2.

Arrow "Code Of Silence"

Yeah, I don't buy Darhk's wife running for mayor, and nobody being the wiser. If Oliver were smart, he's have a surrogate leak the idea to a newspaper, or even a tabloid. He doesn't have to be the one to prove it himself. Just the idea would be damaging enough.

Curtis's gift is pretty much the best wedding present ever. I love that idea. But what does the silly screensaver (which I loved) have to do with it?

I liked how Quentin solved his problem with Felicity's mom. He doesn't actually need to reveal Green Arrow's secret to tell her the truth.

Speaking of Felicity's mom, Charlotte Ross is still smoking in low-cut dresses. Hubba hubba. Her and Felicity are so cute together.

Aaaaand speaking of Quentin, I loved his conversation with Oliver discussing how much this particular secret can cost a person. It was the first real scene I've seen of the two of them as equals, and sort of lets me know that all is forgiven between the two. Which is something I had been waiting five seasons for.

See that look on Malcolm's face? He realizes he may have gotten in a little over his head. I hope he is punished for this nonsense.

Darhk having William is horrible. If Felicity DOES find out next week, it is safe to guess he is the one in the grave. That's the direction I think the show is going in.

Cool episode. Bring on Vixen! ****1/2.

DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Fail-Safe"

Superb. Unlike last week, the character stuff was great.

"This isn't my first Prison Break." Awesome. Absolutely awesome.

Loved hearing that that prison was for dangerously insane psychopaths, and then the episode transitioning to a scene of Ray Palmer going "Hiya! Howya doin'?" to the other inmates. I have to say Ray seemed a little TOO dumb at the prison. Has Ray never seen a prison movie? Even I know you're supposed to keep your head down. Rory was not entirely wrong that he deserved that beating.

I love that Rory insisted on rescuing him because he took a beating for HIM. It's interesting that Snart and Rory not only trust each other, but they seem to genuinely care about each other too. So while Snart thinks it's a bad idea to lug around Ray, he lets Rory do it because he respects his judgment. Even if it isn't what he'd do. For the record, Snart is right that Atom WOULD take a beating for a complete stranger, so Rory was probably reading too much into it. But Rory appreciated it anyways.

Speaking of Snart and honor, I love that Snart tells us that he has never turned on a teammate before. That tells me he is going to be VERY useful on this mission in a way few of the other Legends will be. He actually talks Sara out of killing Stein, even though it is the most prudent course of action, simply because he finds the idea of killing a teammate reprehensible. And he knew that was going to happen, because as he DID point out it was the smart play, even if it wasn't one he'd make himself.

Next week is going to be so awesome. The Smoak name on the buildings tells me it is going to be a lot of fun. ****1/2.




Lucifer "Manly Whatnots"

Lucifer is too honest for his own good. If he wanted to sleep with Chloe, the last thing he should have told her is that is what he wanted. And yet, once she sees him nude, she seems interested, which tells me he's hung. And then when she's concerned about his scars, he is the one who brushes her off. Because she genuinely cares about him. And that is outside of his comfort zone.

Lucifer accidentally barging in on Linda's therapy session reminds me of one thing: If Linda's role as a therapy whore was ever discovered, she'd lose her license. She's taking a big (and stupid) risk for Lucifer.

Also interesting was that D.B. Woodside's angel (can't spell his name) seemed truly negatively affected by Maze licking his face. I couldn't tell if it's because it caused him genuine pain, or he was just disturbed because he liked it. It was a very interesting scene.

This was the best episode so far. The first episode was pretty good, the second episode sucked, and the third was in between. This was outright great. ****1/2.

iZombie "The Whopper"

Blaine's thing with the wig and old age make-up with his father shows that he is a master showman. Someone that theatrical would probably have been happier as an actor. And as moved as I was that Blaine was genuinely hurt that has father left his abusive maid everything in his will, his father was absolutely right that the stunt he just pulled proved that he was RIGHT to put that stipulation in. It is hard to think of Blaine having the high ground in that moment, when his father predicted something like this happening all along.

I loved the joyful ending. This is not exactly a dark show, but we still don't get many of those, because it is still serialized, and happy endings can wreck that. So that makes me appreciate the rare ones more.

Will the cure actually work? Are Major and Blaine going to be all right, or are they going to have to be rezombified before they die too? Is there is real proof that the rat died of the cure anyways? These are all questions I want to know the answers to.

I hope Liv wakes up to what a scumbag Drake is. It is quite out of character that she's fallen for his act as long as she has.

Clive fingering Major in that photo means bad things are going to happen. Major has some breathing room, as Blaine isn't going to be bringing back his father from the dead after all, and blow Major's cover. But he is going to get caught, and even if he isn't actually a serial killer, his late night activities WILL pretty much lead the police back to the bloodbath in the restaurant, and the murders he WAS responsible for. He's screwed and I'm impressed he's lasted as long with this routine as he has.

Rob Thomas needs to write more episodes himself. *****.




Marvel's Agent Carter "Life Of The Party"

Yeah, I don't ship Sousa and Peggy. At all. Sorry. Not when Dr. Wilkes is so dreamy. I DID like Sousa pointing out to Peggy that he already understood what it was like fighting your own body when it wouldn't cooperate with you.

Jarvis was funny this episode too. I like how he was amused that Thompson thought that crack about starches was an insult. It's actually common sense. Duh.

I like that Dottie and Peggy refused to b.s. each other about the reality of the prison break. Dottie was going to constantly try to escape, and Peggy was going to make sure she went back to prison. I found that a bit refreshing.

I sort of liked the first half of the episode better than the second. ***.

Marvel's Agent Carter "Monsters"

God, after that I just hate Whitney Frost. Vernon Masters too. Suddenly the episode title is apt. Poor Ana and Wilkes.

I have to say, I was totally skeeved out by the way Whitney tortured Dottie. It was so gruesome, I actually felt bad for her.

Bad Manfredi: Racist bunghole. Good Manfredi: Tells Whitney she's beautiful even though she looks like death.

Can you believe Sousa actually came into work the next day? That took brass and I admire him for it.

This was a great episode, but it was actually quite upsetting. I've gotten more attached to these characters than any of the cast of Agents of SHIELD. ****1/2.




The Muppets "Got Silk?"

Oh, my God, that was amazing. Uncle Deadly is pretty much the best handler ever. It isn't just a job to him, he genuinely cares about Piggy, and since his mannerisms hint that he is gay, that means there is nothing larger than that going on. That's awesome. And as cool as it was that Piggy sold out the theater for him, she also did something else really nice for him earlier in the episode. When he's on the phone, clearly fake talking to a guy that doesn't exist, she actually handles HIM in that moment, and leads him away by comforting him with the fact that it was appreciated, but he didn't need to further jive her about that. I love those two together.

Question about the tailor the Muppets visited: Does that store normally keep rat and prawn sized suits in stock? Because the fact that they did actually bugged me. I don't usually try to really think too hard about the logic of the Muppets, but occasionally there will be moments that I will question it. That was one of them.

Still, Kermit turning the suits into wardrobe was a genius idea, and a great solution for Rizzo to keep the suit without the Muppets compromising their integrity. I like it whenever the show writes smart answers to complex problems.

Gloria Estafon is now officially a thing. And she somehow makes Uncle Deadly even more perfect.

Rizzo may eat garbage, but never with a pineapple on it. Does anyone know ANYBODY who does anything but pick the pineapple off the burger or the pizza? They taste so gross together, but apparently those restaurants are popular enough to exist. Does somebody actually like how pineapple tastes on a hamburger? 'Cause I don't.

An outright great episode, and shows that the retool's idea of making the Muppets more heartwarming is already paying off. *****.




The Lion Guard "Fuli's New Family"

I'm not going to do much of a review of this except to say that Bunga is my new TV nemesis, and will be making it to the top half of my list of the 2016 10 Most Annoying Characters On Television. (I'll get to 2015 soon. I swear.) The fact that this walking Darwin Award is still living and breathing while Mufasa is dead just shows that Disney cartoons are and always have been unfair. When I actually consider it a sad ending that Bunga doesn't fall into the lava and die a horrible death, you know you might have created a problem character. *.




Girl Meets World "Girl Meets The Bay Window"

I am actually embarrassed on every level for everyone involved in that.

It would be one thing if this were merely a terrible episode. That is standard for this show and no big whoop. What makes this episode so phenomenally awful is that it tries SO hard to be a good episode. I actually think the writers were hoping it would be the best episode of the series. But the premise is SO stupid, that they'd have to hit lightning in a bottle on every single other thing, and everything else was horrid. Where to begin?

This is the actual central conflict of the entire episode: whether or not to redesign a window. And it is portrayed as Earth-shaking and as a metaphor for change and growing up. It's a stupid window. I NEVER had a place as a kid as special as these girls claim this window is, and I frankly think it's weird that ANYONE claims any space ANYWHERE is as magical as these girls think the bay window is. It's not so much that I think the show is wrong for the kids having stupid problems. But these are stupid problems no real world kid would ever have to face, or even really care about. Kids nowadays have actual problems that the show could explore if it so chose to. But they think this actually constitutes human drama. And the fact that Riley and Maya take it so seriously, and even have fantasies about their older and younger selves, pretty much turns them into the homicidal lesbian teenagers from Beautiful Creatures. Frankly, I think it would be weird for a sexual partner to be as into the other person as Maya and Riley seem to be. And that disturbs me. Everything about these girls lives are wrapped up in each other. And that is unhealthy, and I would like to think unrealistic. Because if there are a pair of girls like this anywhere in the world, that is troubling to me. Very.

The second reason the episode fails is that all of the child actors are terrible. That's the crapshoot. If they weren't, there is a slim possibility the episode could have worked. It still would have been insane, but I might have been willing to roll with it were the kids not passionless and clearly reciting their lines by rote. They couldn't even be bothered to get kids that look similar to our kids. The kid who played young Farkle has a normal body frame while our Farkle is tiny, and the young Farkle wears glasses and a crew cut. They didn't even try, and I think if they WERE hoping to make this a great episode, they should have put in the effort. You aren't going to get a child actor like Ben Savage by crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Proper casting is a process, and it's one a Disney kidcom cannot be bothered with.

Here's a rare bit of good acting: in the flashback Ben Savage plays Cory as MUCH younger than he normally does. His performance is MUCH more in line with how he performed the character on Boy Meets World. Yeah, the old show was lucky to get this kid. He's a legit actor, and probably the only actor on the show who it would occur to vary his performance for a ten years earlier appearance.

The other thing I laughed at was Lucas's confusion over his childhood photo. That joke made NO sense, and they were smart enough to not try and explain it, so it was the only other thing besides Flashback Cory that worked.

If you want to create a memorable and touching and magnificent half hour of television, you actually have to put in the effort. You cannot pretend a slapdash story and lousy actors are able to convey serious themes and big ideas. The episode wrote a check the terrible production values and casting could not cash. What they were hoping would be one of the best episodes of the series turned out to be one of the worst. 0.




The Simpsons "Love Is In The N2-O2-Ar-CO2-Ne-He-CH4"

Frink finally learns the truth: it's the voice. It's ALWAYS been the voice.

Hershey's Kisses totally come from Cupid's bottom.

Why are Marge and Homer explaining things when they both know what happened?

Loved Marge spoiling the end of Boardwalk Empire. I bet the show will get a ton of cr*p for that.

Mona turning into Betty Boop was funny.

Oh, Brandine, of all of Cletus's cousins, you're his sister.

Burns considers Valentine's Day as the anniversary of the Chicago Massacre. Because of course he does.

Homer and Marge switching voices was creepy though. That's the one thing in the episode I didn't like. Everything else was hilarious. ****1/2.




The X-Files "Babylon"

Okay, I liked the last five minutes of that with Mulder and Scully, but the rest of the episode was pretty much a disaster.

Every guest character was an ahole. Maybe not Miller, but Einstein was working my last nerve. Doggett and Scully are skeptics too, but they had a bit of basic decorum in their first episodes that the nasty piece of work Einstein does not. She is horrible, and rubs your face in how horrible she is.

The drug trip was lame and unfunny. Sometimes The X-Files does good funny stuff like that. But it didn't work this time. If that was also the return of The Lone Gunmen we were promised, I'm a little bit outraged. I feel ripped off.

I DID like Scully's line about the FBI's most unwanted. Sometimes I wonder if back in 1993, Chris Carter realized that Pilot he wrote would wind up being as groundbreaking, influential, and iconic as it ultimately turned out to be. And the rest is TV history.

So was the kid in the coma a terrorist, or not? I kind of hope not, simply because I have never seen a devout Muslim on TV or in the movies who isn't. We occasionally get a Muslim like Abed on Community who is completely Americanized, but if we see a Muslim on a prayer mat, they are pretty much blowing up a building in the next scene.

That nurse was horrible too. As a liberal, I kind of feel like Chris Carter was going overboard in the moralizing department. I get that aholes are even bigger in Texas, but it seemed like every single person there was one. And that's not the case in real life.

The worst episode of the relaunch. *1/2.




Grimm "Map Of The Seven Knights"

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. As horrible as this show has become, I'm glad I stuck with it just for that.

Bad things first: Juliet / Eve sucks up the joint, and I am back to being angry they brought her back. The episode would have been perfect without her. I'm still giving it five stars. Bitsie Tulloch does NOT have the power to stop me from enjoying that. I won't let her have it.

Next, THREE new keys, for a total of five? Nick Burkhardt pretty won the game of Grimm right there. Add to that the book with the list of names, and the gang won a decisively victory.

Except for the loss of Uncle Felix. Just the way the dude talked about how much he loved history and books, made me regret his death enough. But Silas Weir Mitchell's amazing performance upon learning about his death cemented how great a loss it was. I didn't know Mitchell had that in him, especially since Monroe is always comical. He cried when his Werewolf girlfriend died too, but this was MUCH more convincing. He done brung it.

I have to call b.s. on Nick bringing Trubel to Monroe's house to meet Felix. It is another thing that shows that Nick does NOT care about Wesen's feelings at all. Could you imagine what Felix must have thought was happening when TWO Grimms showed up? That was SO thoughtless on Nick's end. And of course Trubel tries to attack him for woging defensively, because she sucks. I was actually a little bit angered by that scene.

I love how Monroe is unconvinced that Eve is a different person than Juliet. He's right. She shouldn't get to pretend it was somebody else who did the things she did. She is not off the hook for them. And she's crazy if she thinks she is.

But the episode was riveting in a way the show hadn't been since the first half of the fourth season. Once Juliet turned into a Hexenbiest, the show imploded, but it's good to know the show can still be good if it isn't really dealing with her. I had no idea what a terrible actress Bitsie Tulloch was until last season, and that's all on the show. It's not her fault the producers gave her more than she could handle. Frankly, if I were her I'm be p*ssed at how much they destroyed her character in the name of forced drama.

I cannot say enough good things about episode. *****.




Sleepy Hollow "Kindred Spirits"

I was about to cry foul on the Kindred's happy ending (after all he pulled he didn't deserve THAT) when the Hidden One Kayoed him for me. Good.

Loved that Joe points out to Jenny that he had father issues too and now regrets it.

I think Ichabod finally realized WHY Zoe was a bad match. She was entirely unequipped for this stuff. Describing the Kindred as merely "deformed" shows a lack of awareness and a refusal to accept reality that would make her a bad match with Crane. Full stop.

Abbie kept the frizzy hair! Yay! She looks great natural.

Pretty good. Although I think the Kindred's fate should have been even worse. ***1/2.




Bob's Burgers "The Gene And Courtney Show"

Sweet episode. I laughed at Louise wryly telling Tina she was sure Dad held up his end.

I also love the idea that Bob and Linda both forgot to get each other Valentine's presents, neither are mad, and both decide to sneak off to make-out instead. That is a healthy relationship, and one of the most healthy on television.

Gene's song at the end was so cute. I think Courtney is way too gross for him but I liked seeing his crush anyways. And I also liked that Jimmy Jr. got Tina a rose. Just pretty much everything fell into place perfectly by the end of the episode. ****.




Brooklyn Nine-Nine "House Mouses"

I like that Gina is the type of person who will wear a wig before she will put a ponytail in her hair.

Holt intends to use Weishelbrauniac quite liberally. Classical musicians are animals.

I love that Scully and Hitchcock were rewarded with the nice chairs at the end. I like seeing good things happen to them both, and that qualified as a happy ending. They're already asleep.

Loved Amy pretending to be Zen about the trunk situation, and then threatening to kill Rosa if she closed the trunk again.

Somehow Jake made Operation Bean work with Operation Bean 2: The Refrying. Jake seems to take his quips quite seriously, and when he couldn't rhyme mouses with anything, he wants to die because life was pointless, and once he thinks of houses, everything is perfect again. I would like to be the kind of person who values the same stupid stuff Jake does. I imagine I'd be a lot happier.

Funny episode. ****.




Family Guy "An App A Day"

When the history of Family Guy is written 100 years from now, this episode is definitely going to be in the top ten for the worst story premises of all time. Possibly top five. Peter asking if the fact that chemical castration is not for everyone is the lesson, just shows what a lousy idea for an episode this was.

And while I certainly don't agree with teenagers being charged with child pornography for sexting, I also think anybody, no matter what their age, who sends someone a picture of their junk that they didn't ask for is a creep. Hitting a 14-year-old with the sex offender registry is overboard, but I kind of think that kid already has serious problems.

I love Stewie's anger at the security guard disappearing the instant he said he thought the shot was in. I thought it was really cool the guard did that too, and it was a nice little moment.

Self-check-out scanners are exactly that sinister. Spot-on.

I didn't actually hate this episode, but if I gave it any other grade than a zero, I would be saying ANY part of the premise was acceptable. It was not. Not even a little. 0.

American Dad! "N.S.A. (No Snoops Allowed)"

The idea of a Vegetarian Purge is ludicrous, and shows that Hayley is not actually a liberal. I don't care if she didn't actually eat signing gorilla brain, she THOUGHT she did, and intention is everything with me. In that moment Hayley Smith became just as big of a phony loser butthole as Brian Griffin.

I liked Steve's "expended @$$hole" line too. It was clever and appropriate. But I am still appalled at Hayley. **1/2.




Bordertown "High School Football"

The idea that Coyote thinks Buck is more valuable to him alive is a very interesting one. Because having such an incompetent border agent in Coyote's line of work doesn't suck.

I laughed at the beheading gag. Well timed. Well, at least for this show.

Ernesto in the Daisy Dukes reminded me that all of the character designs on this show are atrocious. They are about a hundred times uglier than Bob's Burgers. And I'm not exaggerating. Louise Belcher is actually cute. There are no characters on this show that don't make me want to throw up.

The best episode so far, but that isn't saying much. **1/2.




The Shannara Chronicles "Utopia"

Guns! Electricity! Record Players! Rock and Roll! A film projector straight out of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards! I like that the movie they chose was Star Trek: The Motion Picture and that the humans mistook Spock for an elf. The idea that people reaching the moon is like a fairytale in the future is an amazing conceit.

My question: if guns are so rare, where are they getting all of those bullets? Hmmm.

I loved this episode. ****.




You, Me And The Apocalypse "What Happens To Idiots"

Another amazing episode. Father Jude on that ledge was riveting. I laughed at him promising he had no idea what he doing. SUCH a completely genuine thing to say. And after he tells the story of his father, I nearly cried. I love that by the end of it he's a little bit ticked off at Sister Celine. She was the one who bought Kristoff's bullplop in the first place, and that had to have hurt him deeply. When he asks her before he goes on that ledge if that was the kind of man she thought he was, I knew great things were going to happen.

Jude saying the Church isn't God, and is people, is another reason he is so great. You will NOT hear many priests admitting that very true wisdom. Only a fantastic priest would do so. Jude IS destined for this calling.

Ariel frightens me. He's willing to do that to his best friend. Granted he WAS an idiot by talking about parents and sisters and cousins, but still. I am officially worried.

I love that the episode doesn't let Rhonda off the hook at the end. The cop sadly points out she pulled a gun on a child. She cannot pretend she didn't cross that line.

Jamie's stuff was the least interesting. But it might go somewhere interesting next week, so we'll see. Interesting Jamie's pal made it to the bunker. I hope we get a new reveal a week.

This show is killing me with its awesomesauce. *****.




Colony "Yoknapatawpha"

The worst part about Katie being suspected of being a double agent is that she isn't one. Yes, she killed a Resistance soldier. But she was saving her husband, whom the Resistance broke their word about trying to protect. You cannot blame her for that. The fact that Will is SO good at his job means she is going to be blamed for things she isn't responsible for.

You notice anything interesting about all of the conversations about Invaders and what they are really like? The word "Alien" has never been used on this series. Is that deliberate? Because it is the most obvious word to use in the scenario, and the fact that they HAVEN'T used it leads me to believe the Invaders may be something else entirely.

I have to agree with Snyder when he said he was the best they've got. I believe anybody who replaces him will be much worse. As big of a monster and liar as Snyder is, he IS reasonable. That is pretty much the best you can hope for from a bonafide fascist. Most of them are not.

Interesting to learn about the Colonies and what Snyder does and does not know. I think Katie learning Geronimo is b.s. is valuable intel that might prove to the Resistance the mission wasn't a total wash. But it sucks she's being suspected of being a double-agent. Because she isn't one.

This show is starting to get really interesting. ****.




The Blacklist "Drexel"

I love Navabi just saying to Liz at the beginning that she shouldn't feel bad about giving up her baby. That's just how men want them to feel. I am really bummed that they had Liz decide to keep the kid at the end of the episode where Navabi expressed that. Because she was right. And is another reason Ressler and his insensitive comments suck so much.

I liked the larger reasons Red was pursuing Drexel. Because someone else was using Drexel to pursue him.

Liz seemed surprised Red bailed Tom out of that jam. I'm not. No matter how ill-advised it seems, Red will ALWAYS come down on the side of Lizzie being happy. Always.

Cool episode. ****.




Blindspot "Eight Slim Grins"

Bad mythology: killing off the mystery guy from the first two episodes so soon. Good mythology: Stating Jane's actual identity this early on.

I loved the Doctor slipping out at the end when he did. It was such a skeevy move but it was great because it WAS the perfect time to get away. How the robber didn't see that coming is beyond me.

I liked Patterson's puzzle metaphor.

Mayfair meeting the Carter at the end filled me with doubts about her. Yeah, she's protecting Jane now, but there is no guarantee she always will be.

Interesting episode. ***1/2.

Blindspot "Bone May Rot"

Could Jane be Taylor's twin? Would explain the DNA (but not the scar).

That woman telling her husband she was saving the world before she shot him had to be the least bit of comfort ever.

I liked Reed telling Jane her problem with her on the team isn't her. It's what she does to Weller. I'm glad they gave him that bit of nuance this early on.

Best episode so far. ****.

Blindspot "Split The Law"

Is it just me or does Carter seem a little TOO evil? He pretty much is rubbing how nasty he is in the team's face, and I gotta say, that makes no sense. Sure, it makes a good TV bad guy. But he's a CIA chief. He shouldn't be so theatrical or the kind of guy who draws unwanted attention towards himself. So while FBI agents and CIA agents actually getting into an armed stand-off was riveting television, it was also stupid television. Because now people will talk. And in the previous episodes Carter's entire shtick was convincing the chief that bad things happen when people do. This is totally inconsistent with his earlier appearance.

Now we finally see why they gave Zapata a gambling addiction. She sucks.

The case was strong this week too. I had no idea where they were going with it, and was pleasantly surprised at every turn. Although Carter trying to assassinate Jane in broad daylight is another example of the character being SO cartoonishly evil, that he's outright stupid. ****.

Blindspot "Cede Your Soul"

I laughed at Zapata's "And ladies, he's single." But I think it was a REALLY jerk move to turn around Reed's concern about her well-being on him like that. That is such a manipulative and jerkish thing to do. Friends shouldn't treat each other like that to keep each other off-balance.

I think it was a REALLY good idea for the show to state many of the tattoos will contain multiple clues. Because there IS a limited amount of space on Jamie Alexander's body, and who knows how long the show will actually wind up running? Smart planning.

I have to say if they were TRYING to get me creeped out by Weller's father laughing and crying at the same time, they succeeded. If they weren't, they blew it. He looks like a child predator in that moment. Full stop.

Decent. ***.

Blindspot "Sent On Tour"

Very surprised David didn't turn out to be evil. Because that would have been the worst scenario possible. Interesting the show has bigger fish.

Weller's starting to get wise to Mayfair. She is a terrible liar.

I love that Lou Diamond Philips is absolutely 100% certain he is getting away with it, until he slowly realizes throughout the episode that he isn't. And it takes him until incredibly late in the game to realize how screwed he is. Once he sees the helicopter, he realizes things have gotten entirely out of his control. I love that.

Cool episode. ****.

Blindpot "Persecute Envoys"

That mess of Zapata's is entirely of her own making. She is so dumb.

I had no idea Mayfield was gay. Interesting.

Not much to say this week other than I liked it. ***1/2.

Blindspot "Authentic Flirt"

Poor David. There was a reason Patterson broke up with him. He wasn't cut out for this stuff.

I think Rich Dotcom was an amazing villain. Somebody THAT friendly is bound to be a sociopath. I loved him straight up asking those guys to kill Jane and Kurt in that friendly voice of his, without being smart enough to realize that Jane and Weller held the cards because they had a hostage, and his guys didn't. So they can actually instantly shoot the guys pointing the guns at them with no problems. Didn't think that through.

Speaking of sociopaths, I think Carter just likes killing people, and his job gives him a legal outlet for it. As Mayfair calmly explained, handling the situation would have yielded better results, but Carter just prefers it when people end up dead. It is very true that a large number of law enforcement officers are psychopaths, who use their power to feed into their need for violence. Carter may dress in a nice suit and tie, but that's pretty much his mindset too.

Weller getting fake upset over Jane being frisked and flirted with was a great tactic, and gained them many advantages during the episode. It's not such a nice thing to be a jealous ahole. But pretending to be one can yield some fantastic results.

I also loved the moment at the end of Weller's ex giving Jane advice about pursuing Weller and her blessing. TV is usually a very juvenile medium, so to see a character act like an adult was refreshing, and makes me think Weller's ex was super cool.

I loved this episode. I hope they find a way to bring Rich Dotcom back. But Zapata isn't calling him that. *****.

Blindspot "Evil Handmade Instrument"

Carter was one evil dude. Sociopath. I am glad he's dead. The idea that the entire operation is Jane's idea is a good twist. Except it doesn't make sense why she wiped her memory. Hopefully the show has a good idea in its back pocket, because I can't think of a good excuse. The mission would be easier with her having her memory than not. Hmmm.

David was a Firefly fan? Okay, now that's doubly tragic. Is it possible he gravitated towards Patterson because she looks exactly like Ashley Johnson, a well-known Joss Whedon muse? That's what I'm going to tell myself.

The fact that Carter pulled that stunt is probably going to enrage Weller, and turn him even further against Mayfair. He'll think she was in on it, and he wouldn't be entirely wrong. She knew what Carter's intentions were, and thought she could control him. Big mistake.

All caught up now. ****.




Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Revenge!

A two-disc "set" of the last twelve episodes of season 3.

This was a good season, and I think the Turtles fan in me is beyond satisfied we got Bishop, the Utroms, the Triceratons, Renet, Savanti Romero, and Fugitoid. But at the same time, I think this was the weakest season finale we've gotten. It was TOO unresolved, and felt like a really bad stopping point. I am aware Nickelodeon started airing season four a couple of weeks after the finale, but narratively speaking, it was still a mistake to do the cliffhanger they did. I was disappointed.

Best episodes are the series' take on Renet and the Time Sceptre (Turtles In Time), the "Block Universe" time travel episode that annoyingly forgot it was Block Universe (Tale Of The Yokai), the debut of the Triceratons (Dinosaur Seen In Sewers!) and the first part of the season finale introducing Bishop and the Utroms (Annihilation: Earth!: Part1). Worst episode is "Attack Of The Mega Shredder!". That thing suuuuuucked. Set Overall: ****. Season Overall: ***1/2.

The Noxious Avenger:

I love Splinter throwing the spear through the TV. It meant that this was going to be an actual punishment. And I love the fact that April is not off the hook at the end. She was complicit and Splinter knows it. He may not smack her but she is still in very big trouble. I love that this version of Splinter has a major and dangerous temper. That is unlike any other version. I'm not sure I completely bought Muckman's journey from monster to hero, but that's a superhero cartoon for you. The problem is not just this show. Equally poorly developed were Raph's views towards Muckman. I like to think that there is a little more to Raphael than seeing somebody on TV and deciding to go out and kick their butt for no other reason than a butt has gotta get kicked. I get that the episode wanted to make Raph wrong. They should have found a way to do that without making him stupid or a cruel bully. Mikey's "Are you gonna eat that?" is probably the most disgusting thing he's ever done. And that is saying something. My favorite moment was the Turtles derisively making fun about how conspicuous Bebop and Rocksteady's van was while slamming the Party Wagon with mag wheels into two cars and setting off a car alarm. Great joke at the show's expense. I also like that the show made Rocksteady insightful enough to recognize fear in Muckman's eyes. A really stupid line was Muckman stating he wanted to make the papers not as Muckman, but as garbageman Garson Grange. How does that work exactly? Do Garbagemen routinely make the paper on Garson's planet? Sheesh. The scene of Bebop and Rocksteady turning on Muckman illustrates why I had such a problem with Muckman switching sides when he did. Bebop and Rocksteady gave up on trying to convince him to join them too easily. He was hardly committed to the Turtles when the Pig and the Rhino showed their true colors, and if they had kept offering him carrots, he might have ignored the Turtles advice, and they wouldn't have had all four Turtles and that massive Mutant against them. I believe the reason they decided to let him go was random. The episode was 22 minutes long, and the producers didn't have enough time to make it feel right. That's a good explanation for a kids show schedule. It is still bad writing. The episode didn't wow me. **.

Clash Of The Mutaninals:

A great joke was Mikey pointing out that the cartoons they watched seem to mirror their missions. Leo thinks he's reading too much into it. The fight at the end with Shredder versus all of the Mutanimals and the Turtles was tight. Leo versus Raph was also sweet. I love that Rockwell uses his telepathy to get rid of Slash's worm. I love that because it shows that the "Cure" was not going to work on everybody and Team Turtle had more than one way out. Pigeon Pete and Stockman's slapfight was hilarious too. Very Xander and Harmony on Buffy. I also loved that the worm went into Raph's EYE! Sick! Do you know what was GOOD writing? Leatherhead's "This can't be happening!" Such a genius line. It solves SO many problem built into the premise. It lets the Turtles know immediately that Leatherhead WAS sincere in trusting Slash, and wasn't trying to lead them into a trap, and simultaneously that he isn't being effected by what's going on, and is still on the Turtles side. This show often does backflips around simple solutions to problems, and creates plot messes because of it. It's only fair to point out when the show writes a scene (or in this case a single line) completely right. I hate mind-control episodes in general, but this wasn't a terrible take on the premise. ***1/2.

Meet Mondo Gecko:

I love "Mr. X's Extreme Skate-To-The Death Deathathon 5000". And I also love Mikey making fun of Mondo's "Cowabungas". But the show is NOT too proud to have Mikey do it at the end too. I loved Mikey's line "I wish I could lick my own eyeballs." Cool seeing all of the rogues in the fight club audience, although the fact that Tiger Claw participates in this nonsense makes me think less of him. But we haven't seen Spiderbytes and Snakeweed in ages, and this is the first reappearance of Pizza Face. Not bad. Here's an interesting Easter Egg: The action figures Raph is playing with in the beginning appear to be Chris Bradford Karate Kommandoes. Season 4 foreshadowing? The dude who does Mondo's voice sounds a LOT like David Koechner. But I checked the credits, and it's not him. Huh. Mondo versus Hun was a gas. I was in stitches when Hun repeatedly kicked him against the water tower. Perfectly timed. I love that Mondo sucks at fighting. Although that makes me wonder why the Turtles bothered recruiting him for their Mutant army in the season finale. I guess he's not weaker than Pigeon Pete at any rate. I love the moment at the end where April gives him an "Awww!" and he turns it sexual and gross. Which is a lesson April should have learned already. Unless they are a Turtle, if a Mutant SEEMS cute on the outside, they probably really aren't. Cool ep, bro. ****.

The Deadly Venom:

I love the moment where Casey reveals to April he had been listening to her all along while he was goofing off outside of the movie theater. I also adore the fact that clearly Kirby does not fully trust the Turtles and Splinter, especially with his daughter's life. What is interesting is that it is not unreasonable he believes this. Many of the dangers and problems he's faced were directly due to them. Heck, Karai never would have poisoned April this episode if she weren't friends with the Turtles. I also liked the moment at the beginning during Splinter and Leo's training where Splinter gets angry at Leo failing to press an advantage when he was clearly weakened. I love that moment because it shows he wants his sons to be strong, even if it will ultimately hurt him. That's a parent. The "butt-sucking" moment was similarly saucy for a TV-Y7 show. Bad things? Karai being "cured" was really not something small enough to happen off-screen, between episodes. Fortunately we learned Karai WASN'T fully human again, but even Stockman putting her in a more manageable state is something the audience should have been allowed to see. ***1/2.

Turtles In Time:

I love Renet. She is hands-down one of my favorite Turtles characters. This version isn't quite as brainless as the one from the comics, but she is just as bubbly and busty. What I love about Renet is that she is incompetent. She is weak. She is the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Time Sceptre is the Hat. She is the last person in the universe the Turtles should be relying on in a situation that epic and dire, but she's all they've got. And now I totally ship her and Mikey. And unlike Donnie and April, and even Leo and Karai, I can tell Renet actually digs him too. If Mikey were smarter, when Renet pointed out that he was too old for her because she hadn't even been born yet, he would have said "It's the 14th Century. Neither have I!". This is a good take on Savanti Romero (although he's a pretty hard character to screw up). There are no Cerebus nods in the episode like there were in Renet's 2003 outing, but considering how unpleasant Dave Sim has gotten in real life, that is probably for the best. I love how mad and jealous Mikey got when Donnie hugged Renet. He's got his eyes on you, Donnie. Love the return of the LARP costumes too. Chicks dig the elf ears. Great cliffhanger as well. Season three gave us Bebop, Rocksteady, Renet, Savanti Romero, Hun, Mondo Gecko, the Mighty Mutanimals, Bishop, Napoleon Bonafrog, the Triceratons and the flipping Fugitoid. This is truly the Turtle Fans' love-letter season. *****.

Tale Of The Yokai:

Amazing. SOOOO good. I love the fact that human Hamato Yoshi is a bit of an ahole. I especially love that his persona is sort of jolly and sarcastic. What happened to Shen messed him up BAD. I loved little Miwa playing with Leo's bandana and the idea that the "from the butt" thing is from actual Japanese legend makes me remember the Japanese are a very weird people as far as mythology goes. I couldn't be the only one who thought "Kappa Mikey", could I? I also am amazed to realize that in the past the Turtles can kick Saki's butt with no problems. That amazes me especially because I didn't realize it could be true until I saw it. And it's plausible, so I'm happy with the idea. I find it very interesting that Shen's apartment looks so run down on the outside. This hints that she and Yoshi are actually very poor. Saki saying that he loved and hated Yoshi fiercely sort of hinted that Shredder's feelings about Splinter may be more complicated than we thought. Which creeps me out. Any complaints? Two, one little, one big. The little one is I wish we had got to see Lord Simultaneous in his underwhelming dwarf version. That should ALWAYS end a Renet debut story, and I'm disappointed we didn't get it. But they can save that for a future episode, so that isn't TOO bad. What is is that the time travel science here sucks. Let's ignore the fact that the episode is apparently using predestination "Block Universe" rules (which are admittedly the only time travel rule that make sense) the fact that the last episode was using "Multiverse" rules means it cannot uses Block Universe. A franchise can only use one or the other, and the fact that so many genre franchises mix and match is the precise reason time travel stories outside of Gargoyles never make any sense. I think Gargoyles is VERY overrated franchise in a lot of ways, but the fact that it is literally the only genre project with time travel that not only used Block Universe rules, but stuck to them completely and never violated them once. Which makes it the ONLY credible time travel franchise in existence. I won't diminish that. Also, the writers don't really seem to understand how Block Universe rules work. If the Turtles were always predestined to go 16 years into the past, the photos of Casey and April should not be disappearing, because nothing changes in a Block Universe. Frankly, the photos disappearing has ALWAYS been a bogus concept, but because of Back to the Future, we are stuck with it. If April disappeared, does that mean the Kraang were unable to go through the final phase of their invasion in that timeline? I think once she disappeared from the picture, Donnie should have been WAY more upset than he was. The episode DOES reference Multiverse Rules by sort of getting into the grandfather paradox of why the Turtles can't take out Shredder, but it doesn't fully explore the science behind them that makes time travel so much fun. Yes, if Shredder died, Yoshi doesn't go to New York and buy pet turtles. But it's interesting that Donnie doesn't really understand the paradox. The biggest deal in his mind is that there will be no-one to stop the Kraang. But it also wouldn't make any sense in Block Universe rules. Because if they DID take out Shredder, and they never existed, who would be there to take out Shredder and make sure they never exist? I love when sci-fi examines the paradoxes, and this episode merely did a slapdash job at it. But this episode was still outstanding. The fight at the end between Yoshi and Saki was brutal, and seeing the mythology actually go down was just as epic and tragic as I could have hoped. If the previous episode and "Casey Jones Vs. The Underworld" didn't exist, I'd consider this the best episode of the season. *****.

Attack Of The Mega Shredder!:

Normally, I'm not one to snobbishly turn up my nose at a battle between a giant Turtle Mech and a Mutant Mega Shredder with a brain for a tongue, but honestly? This episode peeved me. It's the Turtle Stealth vehicle. It bugs me. So much I hate the episode. It's stupid. And Donnie is too smart to invent it. Where to begin? Why does it need a toilet on the front? What is that for? How many dumpsters have toilets next to them? How is that not conspicuous? How is that stealth? And don't get me started on how dumb an idea a man on the street would simply sit down and use it is. That's even dumber than sewer popcorn, free energy drinks, or garbage pizza. And it's foot operated and moves inches at a time. How did they get it to Foot Headquarters so quickly? That should have taken weeks. And if it IS a "Stealth" vehicle, the Foot Ninjas never would have seen it coming. They would have gotten in and out with the worm without anyone knowing they were there. Donnie triumphantly declaring "See? Stealth!" upon clobbering the bad guys who noticed the vehicle was his Vizinni moment: "I do not think that word means what you think it means." And Mikey bursting out of the monster's teeth was disturbing as was the fact that the monster's brain was its tongue (and a guy! Yuck!). Bebop's "Ninaja, Please!" is even more offensive than Mikey's "My ninjas". I like that the second Tiger Claw enters the room, the Turtles attack him and ignore Bebop and Rocksteady. They know who the actual threat is. ANY good things? I think ending the teaser with Karai heavy breathing with a Mouser over her face was an unsettling way to start an episode. Would that this episode lived up to it. *.

The Creeping Doom:

I always hate "Donnie is mutated into a dumb monster" arcs, but at least this only lasted an episode. I hate when character minds get damaged, and the Donnie thing is usually so bad because it often lasts for episodes because Donnie is the only one smart enough to cure him, and he's not able to. But giving Mikey a photographic memory works fine too. I'm going to have to say it fits in with most previous episodes with the exception of "Battle For New York: Part 1". But you can almost rationalize that one too by simply saying Mikey wasn't actually goofing around at the beginning but practicing science. That's nonsense of course, but that scene is the only thing contradicting the photographic memory, and I have no problems with pretending it now means something different than it did when it was written. But this wasn't a bad episode. I loved Splinter effortlessly taking out Creep like that. Repeat after me: Biggest Gun. It's ridiculous he sits out as many missions as he does. Best line goes to Splinter: "Please close the freezer. Ice Cream Kitty is beginning to melt." ***.

The Fourfold Trap:

I feel like the Turtles In Space arc came at a bad time. Because the Karai arc feels completely unresolved, and who knows when or even IF they'll ever get back to it. I am officially worried. I have to say, I groaned at Splinter walking in the mouse wheel, simply because that was supposed to be a serious moment, and the ridiculous visual was undercutting the entire thing. This show is really bad at deciding when and when not to be funny. I love that Raph's perspective is that Karai is a lost cause. And for the first time, I'm wondering if he's right. Also, I have to say Splinter is a bit of a d*ck in the moment he says "At least I have three wonderful sons." There is a lot of manipulation and passive aggressiveness in his voice when he says that, and he sounds like Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond when she tries to guilt-trip her sons into doing whatever she wants. Maybe that was the point, but I didn't feel bad for Splinter for Donnie failing. I felt bad for Donnie for having to put up with Splinter being so insufferable about the subject. Rocksteady likes The Dump Of Doom. Is nice. I also like how Mikey has been coming through for the other Turtles in the tail end of this season. It almost makes me forgive how annoying he is. Almost. Another great moment was April punching Bebop. I loved that and Splinter later beating the cr*p out of him and Rocksteady. Good episode. ***1/2.

Dinosaur Seen In Sewers!:

I really wish they had saved Zog for after Turtles In Space. Because the entire arc of his story changed by necessity. And I LIKED his original arc much better. Here, Zog is a mindless weapon who turns on the Turtles once he gets his memory back. He dies rather than be rescued by them. The original Zog's arc was MUCH cooler. He was still a mindless weapon, but he never regained his free will and his death is an actual tragedy. He dies saving the Turtles without ever being aware that they are in fact enemies of the Triceraton Empire. It was sad, and subversive, and since Zog is now the first Triceraton we meet instead of the last, completely gone. That said, it was still a good episode. And Lance Henricksen has a magnificent voice (Bring back Millennium!). Speaking of which, I am astounded at the subtleties SpongeBob actor Tom Kenny is able to bring to Rockwell. Kenny is not just a legit voice actor, he's a legit actor too. My favorite moment was when Leo is annoyed at Mikey being obsessed with the Crognard finale, he forgets Raph for a minute too, and is a little bit upset there wasn't even a movie to wrap things up. I love that. Because as important as Raph is, I get why Leo is so upset at his TV at that moment. 80's cartoons failed the Turtles AGAIN. When will they learn? I will say this for the show: this is the first Turtles incarnation to actually show what a physical threat a being as massive as a Triceraton would be in real life to the Turtles. In the comics and 2003 cartoon the Turtles would battle them as if they were nothing, but on this show their massive size means their punches have force behind them, and they are solid, immovable objects. Here's an unanswered question: What happened to Zog's body at the end? Did the Turtles recover it and bury it on their own, or did the cops inexplicably wind up finding a dead dinosaur in a spacesuit at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty? This is one of those mysteries the show will never answer (or even really NEED to answer). But I'm still dying of curiosity about the subject. How hardcore is Zog? He steps on and squishes a Kraang brain. Easter Egg alert: Inside of the Statue of Liberty is graffiti that reads "Venkman was here." Cool, right? ****1/2.

Annihilation: Earth! Part 1:

I have my share of problems with the season finale, but the first part was pretty much perfect. When I saw that Bishop painted in graffiti over the air, and Leo says what it is, I squealed in delight. Ninja Turtles just gave me what I really wanted for Christmas. And he's JUST as crazy and inventive of a fighter as on the 2003 show. Renet is my second favorite Turtles character. Bishop is first. He's the one dude who could beat Shredder in a fight, and pretty easily. I want to hear the origin story for how this version learned to fight so well, and his history with Kraang Sub--Sub-Prime, who used to be an Utrom! Utroms! I cannot believe the show figured out a way to give them to us. I had just pretty much given up hope, and figured the new show simply ruined the concept. But we got them after all. My favorite Bishop moment was the fact that his first lines were "Do not do this." That was SOOOOO layered and interesting. On the one hand, it means he doesn't want to fight the Turtles. On the other it means if they DO fight him he knows he'll beat them, and THAT is bad for the Earth. It wasn't just a friendly bit of advice from someone trying to make peace. It was also a warning for people who had no idea what they were in for. Leatherhead's reaction to seeing Bishop for the first time was magnificent, as was the fact that Bishop just laid the big guy out. And the best part of about the "Oh s***!" cliffhanger is how sudden it is. One second you are on the edge of your seat, and a second later the episode is over. That is a GREAT cliffhanger style we don't see enough of. I love this episode. *****.

Annihilation: Earth! Part 2:

Fugitoid! I'll tell you why I DON'T like Part 2 as much as Part 1, and think it is the weakest of the season finales: the cliffhanger is TOO dire. The are too many balls up in the air. The season feels unfinished. While Season 2 had a dire cliffhanger too, it also wrapped up most of the arcs of the season. This just leaves everything unresolved, and with the Turtles currently in space, who knows WHEN we'll get to things like what happened to Karai or Bishop. I will concede that David Tennant is pretty much the casting coup of the century as Honeycutt. And unlike most Dreamworks celebrity voice-over artists, he's actually perfect for the role. Speaking of which, Michael Dorn deserved a MUCH bigger voice-over career than he got. Listen to that voice. It's magnificent. Outside of Superman TAS / JLU, Gargoyles, and frankly, Dinosaurs, Dorn has never been utilized in cartoons enough. And he's been a voice actor since the early 90's. I love the moment where the Triceraton soldier has qualms about using the Psionic Extractor upon Mikey. That just proves that not all Tricaretons are bad, and hopefully leads us to Traximus. Plot hole: Mikey saying the extractor was better than a million space rollercoasters. Michelangelo the Ninja Turtle has never BEEN on a rollercoaster, and the writers are kidding themselves if they think I don't know that. Shredder stabbing Splinter the way he did shows exactly why Splinter was foolish to want an alliance with him in the first place. Shredder does not actually love Karai. He doesn't care about her, or anyone else, and doesn't want to be a hero. All he cares about is himself, and the rest of the world can screw itself. He is a genuine sociopath, and how he's built up this empire with that crazy of a personality is not something I dare guess. He's almost as bad as Donald Trump. And his followers are just as big of suckers. Still, I get why Splinter wanted the truce. Seeing Saki take out Triceraton after Triceraton makes me sadly realize he could have been a powerful force for good if he wasn't such a psychopath. When they manage to undo Splinter's death, my one regret is that it will also undo Tiger Claw's realization that he was working for an absolute monster. I don't think he quite got that before that moment of clarity, and I kind of think without it, Tiger Claw will seem much stupider than he used to. One interesting thing about Shredder is his reaction to Splinter breaching his lair: He's curious and calculating. I wish we saw more of THAT Shredder instead of the stupid, petty one. I like that Mikey is able to extend his life with the Triceratons by promising the locations of secret Dimension X entrances. Smart way to buy time. That was unusually cunning for him. Also great was the teleporter trick he pulled. Mikey has really been impressive in the tail end of this season. I have no idea why the Turtles went to Mondo Gecko for help. Dude is actually useless in an actual fight. And when did he and Muckman become pals? I was never even aware they had met. I also am going to call b.s. on Casey joyously yelling "This is so awesome!" at the end, as well as Mikey being placated by cocoa. Casey's father and sister just died, and so did Splinter. There is no part of those characters that should be enjoying any part of that moment. If the show IS gonna deliver us that dire of a cliffhanger, I think they have an obligation to treat it as such. I still think this is the worst of the season finales. It's not terrible, by any means, but since both previous years were both five star episodes, the dip in quality is noticeable. ***1/2. Two-Part Average: ****.

Metal Mutants Battle Royale: Season 4 Sneak Peek:

David Tennant was an amazing "get" for the Fugitoid, but I still don't like his design. It's too clean. He needs to be Earthier and grungier. He's EVE when he should be WALL-E. I am still amazed to realize that the original Turtle comics sent the Turtles into space in issue 5. It was SUCH an audacious plot twist, and most Turtle projects since wait a couple of seasons before attempting it. But the original comics did it right out of the gate. That's fabulous. ****.

The Mutation Of A Scene:

12 Storyboards / Animatics. Overall: ***1/2.

The Noxious Avenger: Scene of the fight at the end. *.

Clash Of The Mutanimals: Boarding for the "This can't be happening!" scene. *****.

Meet Mondo Gecko: Cool to see all of the rogues in animatics. I WILL admit that Tiger Claw saying "You did not just do that," to Stockman after he puked on his popcorn is funny. He shouldn't be there, but the line is still amusing. ****.

The Deadly Venom: There are worse ways to be poisoned. ***.

Turtles In Time: Ashley Johnson was really a perfect casting choice for Renet. But as awesome as this episode is, it STILL gave us a "He's right behind me, isn't he?" ****.

Tale Of The Yokai: Pointless to see a CGI animatic or a storyboard for a series of still images. Fire looks weird in CGI animatic. And I liked the low-tech effect of making April disappear in the photo in the storyboard. ***1/2.

Attack Of The Mega Shredder!: A handy shortcut to see a giant Turtle Mecha go up against a Mutant monster without having to slog through ten boring minutes of the lame Turtle Stealth Dumpster. I also realize that even though Mikey being eaten is sort of played for laughs, when Leo witnesses it, that actually must have been horrific for him. Poor dude. ****.

The Creeping Doom: Mikey and Donnie taking down Creepweed. ***1/2.

The Fourfold Trap: More Splinter awesomesauce. ****1/2.

Dinosaur Seen In Sewers!: I have to say it is a bit rich for Raph to pull the "I thought we were friends" card with Zog at the end of the episode. Raph had been treating him like nothing more than cannon fodder and bait. I find Raph's pleas of friendship ring hollow, and I love that Zog wasn't putting up with that nonsense either. ***1/2.

Annihilation: Earth: Part 1: Leatherhead's "No retreat! No surrender!" reminded me of "By Grabthar's Hammer you shall be avenged!". I miss Alan Rickman. ****.

Annihilation: Earth: Part 2: Do you know the most messed up thing about April trying to appeal to Shredder's better nature? It almost seems like she's gotten through to him. That's what makes him killing Splinter such a shock, and an unfair one at that. *****.