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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of Teen Titans Go!, Preacher, Unikitty, Marvels Cloak & Dagger, Marvel's Spider-Man, Marvel Funko Shorts, Big Hero 6: The Series, DuckTales, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Elena Of Avalor, and Muppet Babies, the first five episodes of Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the latest episode of Colony.
Upcoming reviews include Twin Peaks: The Return (Blu-Ray), Doctor Who: Series 9, Doctor Who: Series 10, Class: Series 1, The X-Files: Season 10, Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Blu-Ray), Ant-Man (Blu-Ray), Captain America: Civil War (Blu-Ray), Doctor Strange (Blu-Ray), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Blu-Ray), Spider-Man: Homecoming (Blu-Ray), Thor: Ragnorok (Blu-Ray), Black Panther (Blu-Ray), Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), X-Men: Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse (Blu-Ray), Logan, Legion: Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 2, Zootopia, Moana (Blu-Ray), Inside Out (Blu-Ray), The Good Dinosaur (Blu-Ray), Finding Dory (Blu-Ray), Cars 3 (Blu-Ray), Coco (Blu-Ray), Once Upon A Time: Season 5, Once Upon A Time: Season 6, The BFG, Tomorrowland, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Blu-Ray), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Blu-Ray), Star Wars Rebels: Season 2, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures: Season 1, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (Blu-Ray), Static Shock: Season 4, Justice League Action: Superpowers Unite!, Justice League Action: Battles From Beyond!, Teen Titans Go!: Get In Pig Out, Teen Titans Go!: Recess Is Over, DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games, LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain, The LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, Batman Vs. Two-Face, Scooby Doo! & Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, Batman Ninja, Suicide Squad (Blu-Ray), Wonder Woman (Blu-Ray), Justice League (Blu-Ray), The Flash: Season 2, The Flash: Season 3, Arrow: Season 4, Arrow: Season 5, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 1, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 2, Supergirl: Season 1, Supergirl: Season 2, Vixen: The Movie, Gotham: Season 2, Gotham: Season 3, iZombie: Season 1, iZombie: Season 2, iZombie: Season 3, Lucifer: Season 1, Lucifer: Season 2, Samurai Jack: Season 5, Be Cool Scooby Doo!: Spooky Kooky Fun!, Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Prod.: Hare-Raising Tales, 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, The Simpsons: Season 18, Red Dwarf XII, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Beyond The Known Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Earth's Last Stand, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Shredder, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Final Chapters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Power Rangers (2017), 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, Power Rangers: Megaforce: The Complete Season, Power Rangers: Super Megaforce: The Complete Season, Transformers: Robots In Disguise: Season 1, Heroes Reborn: The Complete Series, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 1: Water, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire, The Legend Of Korra: The Complete Series, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 1 & 2, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 3 and a Half-ish, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Season 5 & Some More Of 4, Haven: Season 5 - Vol. 1, Haven: The Final Season, The Dark Tower, IT, Under The Dome: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 2, Sleepy Hollow: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 4, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 2, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 3, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 4, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, The Jurassic Park Trilogy, Jurassic World, Back To The Future: The Complete Animated Series, Shaun The Sheep Movie (Blu-Ray), Shaun The Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, 12 Monkeys: Season 1, 12 Monkeys: Season 2, Grimm: Season 4, Grimm: Season 5, Grimm: Season 6, The Wonder Years: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 5, The Wonder Years: Season 6, The Peanuts Movie, Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go!, Peanuts By Schulz: School Days, Bob's Burgers: Season 5, Home Movies: Seasons 1 & 2, Home Movies: Season 3 & 4, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, Community: Season 6, Danger Mouse: The Complete Series, Game Of Thrones: Season 5, and Game of Thrones: Season 6.
Freedom Fighters: The Ray "Part 2: Earth X"
This is definitely not canon. And that annoys me. Usually supplementary material like this is designed to bridge the canon gaps and actually explain the connections between the different shows in a franchise. And since the Arrowverse was already a pretty tight continuity, it's annoying that this is the first project to actually ignore the story already set up.
"Gay means happy, right?" I love parents.
The guy who plays Barry absolutely sucks.
I didn't much like this. **1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Kabooms!, Pt. 1"
Good to see the return of Death Toilet but the show has exposition all wrong. A hero telling their life story in a moment of crisis isn't exposition. Yes, it's boring, and a movie is worse for it, but that's not what exposition is. Exposition is more like the hero or the villain explaining their plans and how the things in the movie work. And good exposition scene can be riveting if it's done right. Honestly, movies with long conversations in them are often quite amazing. Nobody remembers Pulp Fiction because of the action scenes. That's not why it made the impact it did. It made the impact because it said it was all right if characters sat and talked with each other during an action film. And that wasn't exposition either. The episode besides not knowing the definition of exposition, can't even tell good talking scenes from bad ones. This actually makes me fear the movie a little. This is not rocket science. ***.
Teen Titans Go! "Kabooms!, Pt. 2"
I love that the Titans' movie WASN'T "Teen Titans Go To The Movies". It was a rip-off of Babies vs. Dogs. Because maybe that's what all movies are.
You know, a lot of writers actually talk about "subverting tropes" but it's all talk. They never actually subvert them. What they do is instead have a different take on the trope and act like that's the same thing. It's not. Correctly subverting the trope involves ignoring the trope to do something else and proving why the trope is not necessary in the first place. And as Cyborg says about how well loved and respected certain tropes are, that specific mindset is why everyone always talks about subverting tropes and never actually does it. A twist on a trope is a good thing. But you aren't actually giving the trope the finger if you engage in it. True subversion should involve proving why the trope is unnecessary. And nobody in Hollywood seems willing to do that.
Wow, that review got a bit off-topic, didn't it? ***1/2.
Preacher "The Coffin"
Cassidy keeps getting it from all sides, don't he? That hostage video he made was the funniest thing I ever saw in that particular situation. I laughed at the Secret Society of vampires at the end.
I can't tell if Herr Starr is jiving when he tells the Allfather he's looking well. Because we've never seen him before, he might be serious. Which is alarming. Herr Starr seems incredibly frustrated that the Allfather seems perfectly happy with Humperdoo the Idiot Dancing Messiah. Pip Torrens' reactions all throughout the episode were great.
Should have realized immediately Grandma dying meant Tulip would too. If all of her curses become undone when she dies, it stands to reasons the good ones do too.
Loved the looks on Tulip's face as she said "Witness". Her description of people who worry was antifeminist, but considering she's a woman, I'll let it slide.
A good episode. We were due. ****.
Unikitty "Brawl Bot"
I like the way Hawkodile won in the last second.
The quips are always what get ya.
I laughed at those weird Unikitty aliens in that spaceship.
Fun. ****.
Unikitty "Beach Daze"
What a lame and cynical ending.
The rest was good though.
I liked Richard saying they shouldn't have taken the break while the castle was on-fire, and Unikitty saying it would still be there when they got back.
I like that when Unikitty calls Richard old, he takes it in stride.
Good but the ending sucked. ***.
Unikitty "Big Pup, Little Problem"
Puppycorn is a really tough character to like for me.
The "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" moment was funny though. ***1/2.
Unikity "Tragic Magic"
Dr. Fox is why we are not allowed to have nice things.
I love that the tricks that really impressed the group are the basic tricks everyone knows like the rabbit in the hat or the coin in the ear. It made their gushing over them even funnier.
I loved this episode. Dr. Fox sucks though. I don't know what Hawkodile sees in her. ****1/2.
Unikitty "Dancer Danger"
Lame. About the only thing I liked was the idea that Dr. Fox's takeaway upon Groovebot becoming self-aware is that she is super good at making robots. The dance stuff was ridiculous though. **1/2.
Marvel's Cloak & Dagger "Ghost Stories"
Ridiculously early on in this show's run I made a bold prediction. It must have been only episode four or five when I declared this show the best Marvel Studios show I have ever seen. I have not seen everything. But I've seen a lot. And I said this was the best show ever after four or five episodes, which was me going out on the craziest of limbs, that could really make me look foolish in hindsight. You know what?
I was right. The season ain't over, but I can safely say that unless the season ends with Tyrone waking up to Billy in the shower that this is the best Marvel show ever. It's already earned that title just with what it's given us. I consider the next two episodes merely a formality at this point. Although I would be remiss to point out that I expect them both to be balls-out amazing.
Where do I begin?
First of all, I love Tandy. And I didn't realize her value until this episode. Yeah, she ostensibly visits Tyrone to steal his mother's keycard. But despite her making things a million times more uncomfortable for his parents, she helped Tyrone. Because he was feeling crazy. He did not understand why he was not allowed to grieve or mention his brother on the day it mattered. Why his parents still are spiteful and unaware enough to blame the actions of the child on the adult. And it sucks. And seeing that Tandy and her mother have a remembrance tradition suddenly makes Tyrone realize how inadequate his parent's yearly guilt trip is on this specific day. And the parents are especially upset that Tandy offers sympathies and asks how they will be celebrating the day like a Normal Person would for someone they loved, and they kind of realize "Dear God, we are not Normal People!" And I am glad they got that even for that moment. Because they are not.
Example: Tyrone walks in on his father smelling his dead son's cloak. And instead of using it to bond over both of their pain, Otis instead tries to change the subject and stop the moment from being what it actually is. Mrs. Bowen is the hottest of messes. But she deals with her actual problems far more rationally than the Johnsons.
Speaking the Bowens' problems... I love the moment when Tandy realizes her father was an abuser. It is SUCH a mess. The reason I love the moment so much is the specific context she learned it during. If she and Tyrone had got this specific "vibe" from her under different circumstances, Tandy might not be as appalled as she is. But it happens in the middle of a celebration of the man whose name they were both trying to clear. Who Mrs. Bowen never told Tandy about the abuse so as not to tarnish his memory. She is a FAR better wife and mother than Tandy ever gave her credit for, and she instantly realized that. And the absolute most genius and devastating thing about the scene happens because of the weird way Tyrone and Tandy's powers work: Mrs. Bowen isn't actually aware something significant has occurred. She has a mildly puzzled on her face as Tandy is reeling in shock and devastation, and realizing every thing she believed about her father before this was a lie to make her feel better. And she can't very well bring it up with her mother. Only Tyrone knows what she saw, and Tyrone does not come from a family of chatty people. Which is a darn shame.
Now we get back to Tyrone. Were I Tyrone, I would not have trusted O'Rielly and her boyfriend with his secret. The thing that excuses it to me is that his plan was actually amazing, (and yes, it worked) and the others would NOT have gone along with it unless they actually knew the specific reason that it would work. It was foolish to reveal his powers to two cops. But he REEEAAALLLY wanted to nail Connors. So he did it, so he could. And he did.
Or did he? Next week's preview hints at an upcoming mess due to O'Reilly's boyfriend in the fridge.
Yes, I noticed the Misty name-drop too. That was awesome.
This show continues to knock my socks off. Best Marvel show ever. *****.
Marvel's Spider-Man "Venom Returns"
All right but that double-bluff shouldn't have fooled Jameson for a second. He knows there's a second Spider-Man, and he's heard both of their voices. He should be able to put together that Spider-Man is Parker. Parker's Secret ID only works if you don't suspect him. Because he doesn't modulate his voice for Spidey if someone suspects him, they can easily correctly guess it's him. I get Jameson is stupid, but he shouldn't be that stupid.
What I like about this Jameson is that he shares all of the other Jameson's rare virtue. He is fearless. He doesn't back down against bad guys, even when his life is threatened. The other aspect I've always liked about Jameson is that he has always been willing to lie to villains to protect the people he cares about, even under threat of death. We haven't seen that aspect yet here, but I hope we do eventually.
This was nice and all, but the logic of the double-bluff doesn't hold together well at all. ***.
Marvel Funko "Magnet Mayhem"
Why wasn't Iron Man sucked up by the magnet?
Do any of these Funko shorts have dialogue?
All right. ***.
Big Hero 6 "Killer App"
That was cute and funny.
Fred's expression over the crying woman hugging him was funny. She's too weird, even for him.
I like Wasabi acknowledging Hiro is better at insults than him.
How could Wasabi possibly fit into Hiro's armor?
Good episode. DuckTales and Tangled had bad weeks so it's nice this show delivered. ****.
DuckTales "The Other Bin Of Scrooge McDuck!"
The Dreamcatcher ending meant the episode was a cop-out so I didn't like it.
Gavin was funny though, although I kind of feel like he should have gotten a bigger comeuppance at the end.
Easter Eggs: Pep is still a thing. The Webby doll is the original Webby design. Scrooge's Number 1 dime was earned in 1877.
Unsuccessful episode. At least we learned that Lena is ultimately good. **.
DuckTales "Dewey Dew-Night: Will It Crash?!"
Oooh, rare appearance from Donald!
For some reason, I didn't feel the animation in this short was up to snuff. Do they use a different animation studio for the shorts? Because I notice the Big Hero 6 shorts have inferior animation too. ***1/2.
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure "Freebird"
Oh, that pushed all of the wrong buttons.
Seriously. How stupid is Rapunzel? It spoke volumes that it turns out all of the other victims were children. Rapunzel should never be portrayed as this stupid. It is SO obvious that couple was sinister that I can't believe they fell for it.
And Rapunzel kept wanting to stay out even though there was a time limit attached to the power. Staying out for an hour was a stupid idea to begin with.
Speaking of stupid, I can't believe Lance, Eugene, and Hookfoot are standing in the cage preening over how strong they each are, when they should be escaping the cage and getting the eggs. And considering how near the time limit Rapunzel was, why wasn't she given one of the first of the eggs? There are just so many holes in the episode and SO much plot related stupidity that I am very unhappy.
This season is officially starting to worry me. If this were the first underwhelming episode, I wouldn't care, but we haven't really had a good one, much less a great one yet. *.
Elena Of Avalor "The Scepter Of Night"
Glad the good guys won that one. Because I did NOT see it as a foregone conclusion for once. Mateo's behavior was outright alarming.
Good episode. ****.
Muppet Babies "Upside-Down Day / Tooth And Consequences"
Upside-Down Day:
I love that the Babies paint Miss Nanny from the waist down.
Dr. Gonzo is sure cute. But the rest of the cartoon was a mountain of cliches. ***.
Tooth And Consequences:
Where has Gonzo seen that guy before?
I love that the Tooth Fairy is Rizzo. I laughed when he was busted at the end.
Great Uncle Schnozzie's song was great too. ****.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
Muppet Babies "The Great Gonzo's Grand Prix / Animal Kong"
The Great Gonzo's Grand Prix:
I realize again upon watching this something the show has hinted at, and has got to be true of all versions of Gonzo. Being Gonzo's friend must be a trial. He values weird and ridiculous things, and expects you to play along with the danger and the crazy as if it is perfectly normal. The Muppet Show never explored the outside friendships of The Muppets, but it strikes me as criminal that the Bill Prady mockumentary from a couple of years ago never actually portrayed Gonzo as such an impossible to like nuisance. They sort of inexplicably gave that role to Scooter, whereas Gonzo has always had the legit claim to it. I like that this show, as mild as it is, has the Babies as frustrated with Gonzo as they actually should be. We think Miss Piggy is a narcissist. And she is. But only when it involves things she likes, or gets overexcited about. Gonzo literally has to make everything about himself, not only in this episode, but it seems to me in EVERY episode. He is a trial of a friend. It's lucky he's so d*mn cute.
For some reason, Statler and Waldorf as the wise and reasonable adults just don't sit right.
I squeed in delight that Kermit sailed the Jolly Roger. Until he took the name "Captain Greenbeard" instead of "Captain Smollet". Then I groaned. Know your canon, Muppet Babies.
Relatively cute. ***1/2.
Animal Kong:
I have never seen a version of Baby Animal this legitimately scary. Animal on The Muppet Show is actually quite scary, but they decided to make him the most harmless and youngest baby on the old show. Here, his tantrum is quite alarming. The other Muppets are unhappy, but were I them, I'd actually be afraid.
Kermit is about to say to Rizzo that it is unlikely they'll ever meet another rat as smart as Rizzo, but no Kermit, you DON'T have to actually finish a compliment that stupid.
I didn't like this. **.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Mystic Mayhem"
That is going to cause a fuss. That will create a stir. That will be polarizing.
Personally? I loved it. I haven't enjoyed a Turtles project this much in years. But a lotta hatas gonna hate.
Brief Turtle opinion history from me. I was 13 when the 1987 series debuted. I really loved the five part pilot, but I thought every episode after that was boring and nowhere near as interesting as the black and white comics. I thought the first movie was one of the better comic book adaptations I had seen at the time, and I saw both underwhelming sequels years later and wasn't sad I skipped them in the theater. Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was a visually interesting idea that unfortunately had bad scripts and villains, and Venus underwhelmed. I think the 2003 series was the definitive Turtles project to me, and the CGI animated TMNT movie was underpraised. I've only seen the first Michael Bay film and that is the worst thing in the franchise. The second worst thing? The 2012 series.
And that is where I part ways with the fandom who loves it. I cannot stand that badly written piece of garbage. So maybe you should know the real reason I view this project favorably is because I thought the last project did so wrong by the viewers in every conceivable way. Me watching this was show was like "Wait, I'm ALLOWED to enjoy a Turtles project?" I don't actually have to nitpick the show because it's ostensibly a show about Ninjas but the brothers loudly blunder around on covert missions as if they are the Three Stooges and Roger Rabbit? The Turtles can be funny without being stupid or incompetent? Why have I been denied this for so long? Why did the 2012 series make watching every episode a freaking ordeal? Why is it now the franchise is going back to the fun satire it is when it's at its best?
Let's talk about the good and the bad. First impressions can be wrong.
First off, I still hate the character designs, but the animation is AMAZING. If the trade-off to having free-wheeling, off the wall action to this is making the Turtles a little toonier than I'm comfortable with, well, the results speak for themselves. The 2003 series had surprisingly good animation for low budget and its era in history, but this blows it away. And honestly, I think the animation in the 2012 series is really bad. Outside of the Star Wars cartoons and Transformers Prime there are not a ton of CGI TV cartoons that look good. That's because CGI is expensive, and kids cartoons are usually a budget medium. Therefore New York always seemed empty, and whenever it wasn't a season finale, the action in the fight scenes, while landing well, seemed sort of overly choreographed and conventional. This is just bananas. Granted, it's just the first episode, and maybe that was this show upping the game and budget just this once. But the truth is, the 2012 series' animation got better every year. This is not like the 2003 series that went backward in the last two seasons. Animation techniques are improving so rapidly that a show can cut its budget every year and still wind up looking better. That wasn't the case in the mid aughts. But now, I think what we were given might not simply be the show at its best. It might simply be the tip of the iceberg.
I like that they didn't do an origin story. Maybe they will down the line, but that sets this apart from the other Turtle stuff. And so much stuff is set apart that I am willing to see the show take chances and mess with the formula a bit. Part of the reason I hated 2012 so much is that they were ruining a ton of great source material. If it's a non-factor here, of course I can sit back and enjoy the series more and on its own merits. It's crazy more shows based on comic books don't try this to begin with. But we've gotten to the point where maybe stepping away a bit from the huge amount of canon will be healthy.
I like the humor. It's urban, and half the cast is African American, and it strikes me as observational too. The quips are things you'd hear somebody say on Park and Recreation. The characters are funny, self-aware, and not actually stupid. They don't overexplain their jokes to each other or the audience and nobody cares.
I hope they don't say "Leon" too often though. It hits the ear wrong.
I also like that the brothers are much less contentious. That was a great source of occasional drama in the 2003 series, and I think the TMNT movie was amazing because of it. But it was unending on the 2012 show, and nobody ever learned a lesson, or at least carried what they learned in one episode over to the next, which was tiring. There was no growth. That might not have been an issue if the Turtles weren't so unprofessional, incompetent, and stupid on their missions. Silly me, I had assumed that that would be a season one problem, and the hook of the show would be watching the team grow together into an amazing fighting force. And the freaking series finale is literally the Turtles getting every single one of their allies killed because they suck at their job so much. Yay, closure, am I right?
Here the Turtles joke around on the mission, but they don't eff it up, or at least eff it up in a way that damages anything. The 2012 Turtles were responsible for so much misery and destruction in New York City just based on how carelessly they handled the Mutagen containers alone. I will rest easy that I will not be watching a show where the Turtles mutate April's father because they were petty bickering when their friend actually needed them. And the crazy thing is, that watching these Turtles work well together like a well oiled machine tells me that that specific sort of conflict was always unnecessary and made the 2012 show worse for no good reason. That's probably why all of the in-fighting on the 2003 versions stayed in the sewers and they rocked the missions. If there IS gonna be upcoming conflict I hope they do the same thing. They are off to a good start.
The 2012 show was nonstop unforced errors, and if anything, I suspect this show is going to prove how unnecessary and stupid every single one of those mistakes was. I already like the first episode of this show better than every episode of the 2012 show. And there WERE admittedly episodes of that show that I liked. But I had few real complaints here and my gripes were unending even during the rare good weeks on the last iteration.
Can't wait for more. I expect good things. ****1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Newsworthy"
Back to the Turtles being incompetent. The twist? They mess up against a foe that doesn't actually matter and don't lose anything.
I loved them looking in horror at Leo just cutting that worm in half. What a hilarious line reading from Raph on "Leo, what did you just do?"
I love that Raph WANTS to wear the costume. Supposedly the thing that only Mikey used to enjoy is actually a leader perk on this show. Good to know.
That joke about the Turtles using math to nitpick Stone's quip about not growing back four sizes and two strengths was a REALLY smart joke. I love the 2003 series, but it was NOT known for smart jokes. This is probably the first smart Turtles project.
Fun. ****.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Origami Tsunami"
Oh, these Turtles got it covered. It don't matter HOW much they mess up. The salami paper doesn't work? Donnie put a tracker in it! Braap! Don't worry, he put in two! These guys have contingencies.
"Look, they're gone!" "Then what are we looking at?" That is both a very smart joke and a very stupid joke at the same time.
I love that Leo is a bit of coward. I love that he wants to make sure the first adventure is Junior Mystery material. These are not the Turtles rushing out to face spine crushers and manglers. Nope. And when he see how impressive the Foot he's like, "Well, we outnumber you 2 to 1. Maybe we'll just call it even and go home." That's is SO freaking funny.
I love the other Turtles reactions to Raph eating the salami. Somehow I don't think the five second rule was intended to count former salami glop monsters. That is NOT what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they invented it.
Funny episode. And the animation was again amazing. ****1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Repo Mantis"
That was more slight than the other episodes (only Donnie and Mikey appear) but it's funny, and the facial expression are top-notch and hilarious.
When that guys all "Dogs have 8 nipples" I was like "This is not your father's TMNT cartoon."
Michael is similar to Leon in hitting the ear wrong. Stop it.
All right but the weakest episode so far. **1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "War And Pizza"
Okay, so I've added the figures and done the math, and according to my calculations, forgetting to change a battery in a remote control is a completely plausible reason for a robot to become evil and gain sentience and start destroying the building. Totally checks out. How? Shut up, that's how.
So apparently Donnie's type is giant, adorable, and sinister. Thank God it's not actually April. 2012 Donnie perving on a clearly cringing 2012 April never stopped being creepy.
I love that Alberto is moved that he finally gets a birthday, and April just destroys the moment and starts demolishing him with a sledgehammer. Can I just say how glad I am Happy Birthday is public domain again? Pop culture has immediately started to suck less since it became so.
Donatello reminds me of David Cross. He's the funny one.
Fun episode. April's fired. ****.
Colony "Bonzo"
Exciting episode. I loved it when Will told Katie she was a liability. I didn't agree with him, but I love that he said it. Her being so angry at that was great drama.
Bram's stuff with Gracie is getting interesting. Although I wouldn't trust that Captain.
Broussard continues to be amazing and Snyder continues to be despicable.
That teaser was messed up.
Great episode. ****1/2.
Upcoming reviews include Twin Peaks: The Return (Blu-Ray), Doctor Who: Series 9, Doctor Who: Series 10, Class: Series 1, The X-Files: Season 10, Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Blu-Ray), Ant-Man (Blu-Ray), Captain America: Civil War (Blu-Ray), Doctor Strange (Blu-Ray), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Blu-Ray), Spider-Man: Homecoming (Blu-Ray), Thor: Ragnorok (Blu-Ray), Black Panther (Blu-Ray), Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), X-Men: Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse (Blu-Ray), Logan, Legion: Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 2, Zootopia, Moana (Blu-Ray), Inside Out (Blu-Ray), The Good Dinosaur (Blu-Ray), Finding Dory (Blu-Ray), Cars 3 (Blu-Ray), Coco (Blu-Ray), Once Upon A Time: Season 5, Once Upon A Time: Season 6, The BFG, Tomorrowland, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Blu-Ray), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Blu-Ray), Star Wars Rebels: Season 2, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures: Season 1, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (Blu-Ray), Static Shock: Season 4, Justice League Action: Superpowers Unite!, Justice League Action: Battles From Beyond!, Teen Titans Go!: Get In Pig Out, Teen Titans Go!: Recess Is Over, DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games, LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain, The LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, Batman Vs. Two-Face, Scooby Doo! & Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, Batman Ninja, Suicide Squad (Blu-Ray), Wonder Woman (Blu-Ray), Justice League (Blu-Ray), The Flash: Season 2, The Flash: Season 3, Arrow: Season 4, Arrow: Season 5, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 1, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 2, Supergirl: Season 1, Supergirl: Season 2, Vixen: The Movie, Gotham: Season 2, Gotham: Season 3, iZombie: Season 1, iZombie: Season 2, iZombie: Season 3, Lucifer: Season 1, Lucifer: Season 2, Samurai Jack: Season 5, Be Cool Scooby Doo!: Spooky Kooky Fun!, Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Prod.: Hare-Raising Tales, 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, The Simpsons: Season 18, Red Dwarf XII, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Beyond The Known Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Earth's Last Stand, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Shredder, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Final Chapters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Power Rangers (2017), 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, Power Rangers: Megaforce: The Complete Season, Power Rangers: Super Megaforce: The Complete Season, Transformers: Robots In Disguise: Season 1, Heroes Reborn: The Complete Series, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 1: Water, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire, The Legend Of Korra: The Complete Series, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 1 & 2, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 3 and a Half-ish, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Season 5 & Some More Of 4, Haven: Season 5 - Vol. 1, Haven: The Final Season, The Dark Tower, IT, Under The Dome: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 2, Sleepy Hollow: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 4, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 2, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 3, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 4, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, The Jurassic Park Trilogy, Jurassic World, Back To The Future: The Complete Animated Series, Shaun The Sheep Movie (Blu-Ray), Shaun The Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, 12 Monkeys: Season 1, 12 Monkeys: Season 2, Grimm: Season 4, Grimm: Season 5, Grimm: Season 6, The Wonder Years: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 5, The Wonder Years: Season 6, The Peanuts Movie, Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go!, Peanuts By Schulz: School Days, Bob's Burgers: Season 5, Home Movies: Seasons 1 & 2, Home Movies: Season 3 & 4, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, Community: Season 6, Danger Mouse: The Complete Series, Game Of Thrones: Season 5, and Game of Thrones: Season 6.
Freedom Fighters: The Ray "Part 2: Earth X"
This is definitely not canon. And that annoys me. Usually supplementary material like this is designed to bridge the canon gaps and actually explain the connections between the different shows in a franchise. And since the Arrowverse was already a pretty tight continuity, it's annoying that this is the first project to actually ignore the story already set up.
"Gay means happy, right?" I love parents.
The guy who plays Barry absolutely sucks.
I didn't much like this. **1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Kabooms!, Pt. 1"
Good to see the return of Death Toilet but the show has exposition all wrong. A hero telling their life story in a moment of crisis isn't exposition. Yes, it's boring, and a movie is worse for it, but that's not what exposition is. Exposition is more like the hero or the villain explaining their plans and how the things in the movie work. And good exposition scene can be riveting if it's done right. Honestly, movies with long conversations in them are often quite amazing. Nobody remembers Pulp Fiction because of the action scenes. That's not why it made the impact it did. It made the impact because it said it was all right if characters sat and talked with each other during an action film. And that wasn't exposition either. The episode besides not knowing the definition of exposition, can't even tell good talking scenes from bad ones. This actually makes me fear the movie a little. This is not rocket science. ***.
Teen Titans Go! "Kabooms!, Pt. 2"
I love that the Titans' movie WASN'T "Teen Titans Go To The Movies". It was a rip-off of Babies vs. Dogs. Because maybe that's what all movies are.
You know, a lot of writers actually talk about "subverting tropes" but it's all talk. They never actually subvert them. What they do is instead have a different take on the trope and act like that's the same thing. It's not. Correctly subverting the trope involves ignoring the trope to do something else and proving why the trope is not necessary in the first place. And as Cyborg says about how well loved and respected certain tropes are, that specific mindset is why everyone always talks about subverting tropes and never actually does it. A twist on a trope is a good thing. But you aren't actually giving the trope the finger if you engage in it. True subversion should involve proving why the trope is unnecessary. And nobody in Hollywood seems willing to do that.
Wow, that review got a bit off-topic, didn't it? ***1/2.
Preacher "The Coffin"
Cassidy keeps getting it from all sides, don't he? That hostage video he made was the funniest thing I ever saw in that particular situation. I laughed at the Secret Society of vampires at the end.
I can't tell if Herr Starr is jiving when he tells the Allfather he's looking well. Because we've never seen him before, he might be serious. Which is alarming. Herr Starr seems incredibly frustrated that the Allfather seems perfectly happy with Humperdoo the Idiot Dancing Messiah. Pip Torrens' reactions all throughout the episode were great.
Should have realized immediately Grandma dying meant Tulip would too. If all of her curses become undone when she dies, it stands to reasons the good ones do too.
Loved the looks on Tulip's face as she said "Witness". Her description of people who worry was antifeminist, but considering she's a woman, I'll let it slide.
A good episode. We were due. ****.
Unikitty "Brawl Bot"
I like the way Hawkodile won in the last second.
The quips are always what get ya.
I laughed at those weird Unikitty aliens in that spaceship.
Fun. ****.
Unikitty "Beach Daze"
What a lame and cynical ending.
The rest was good though.
I liked Richard saying they shouldn't have taken the break while the castle was on-fire, and Unikitty saying it would still be there when they got back.
I like that when Unikitty calls Richard old, he takes it in stride.
Good but the ending sucked. ***.
Unikitty "Big Pup, Little Problem"
Puppycorn is a really tough character to like for me.
The "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" moment was funny though. ***1/2.
Unikity "Tragic Magic"
Dr. Fox is why we are not allowed to have nice things.
I love that the tricks that really impressed the group are the basic tricks everyone knows like the rabbit in the hat or the coin in the ear. It made their gushing over them even funnier.
I loved this episode. Dr. Fox sucks though. I don't know what Hawkodile sees in her. ****1/2.
Unikitty "Dancer Danger"
Lame. About the only thing I liked was the idea that Dr. Fox's takeaway upon Groovebot becoming self-aware is that she is super good at making robots. The dance stuff was ridiculous though. **1/2.
Marvel's Cloak & Dagger "Ghost Stories"
Ridiculously early on in this show's run I made a bold prediction. It must have been only episode four or five when I declared this show the best Marvel Studios show I have ever seen. I have not seen everything. But I've seen a lot. And I said this was the best show ever after four or five episodes, which was me going out on the craziest of limbs, that could really make me look foolish in hindsight. You know what?
I was right. The season ain't over, but I can safely say that unless the season ends with Tyrone waking up to Billy in the shower that this is the best Marvel show ever. It's already earned that title just with what it's given us. I consider the next two episodes merely a formality at this point. Although I would be remiss to point out that I expect them both to be balls-out amazing.
Where do I begin?
First of all, I love Tandy. And I didn't realize her value until this episode. Yeah, she ostensibly visits Tyrone to steal his mother's keycard. But despite her making things a million times more uncomfortable for his parents, she helped Tyrone. Because he was feeling crazy. He did not understand why he was not allowed to grieve or mention his brother on the day it mattered. Why his parents still are spiteful and unaware enough to blame the actions of the child on the adult. And it sucks. And seeing that Tandy and her mother have a remembrance tradition suddenly makes Tyrone realize how inadequate his parent's yearly guilt trip is on this specific day. And the parents are especially upset that Tandy offers sympathies and asks how they will be celebrating the day like a Normal Person would for someone they loved, and they kind of realize "Dear God, we are not Normal People!" And I am glad they got that even for that moment. Because they are not.
Example: Tyrone walks in on his father smelling his dead son's cloak. And instead of using it to bond over both of their pain, Otis instead tries to change the subject and stop the moment from being what it actually is. Mrs. Bowen is the hottest of messes. But she deals with her actual problems far more rationally than the Johnsons.
Speaking the Bowens' problems... I love the moment when Tandy realizes her father was an abuser. It is SUCH a mess. The reason I love the moment so much is the specific context she learned it during. If she and Tyrone had got this specific "vibe" from her under different circumstances, Tandy might not be as appalled as she is. But it happens in the middle of a celebration of the man whose name they were both trying to clear. Who Mrs. Bowen never told Tandy about the abuse so as not to tarnish his memory. She is a FAR better wife and mother than Tandy ever gave her credit for, and she instantly realized that. And the absolute most genius and devastating thing about the scene happens because of the weird way Tyrone and Tandy's powers work: Mrs. Bowen isn't actually aware something significant has occurred. She has a mildly puzzled on her face as Tandy is reeling in shock and devastation, and realizing every thing she believed about her father before this was a lie to make her feel better. And she can't very well bring it up with her mother. Only Tyrone knows what she saw, and Tyrone does not come from a family of chatty people. Which is a darn shame.
Now we get back to Tyrone. Were I Tyrone, I would not have trusted O'Rielly and her boyfriend with his secret. The thing that excuses it to me is that his plan was actually amazing, (and yes, it worked) and the others would NOT have gone along with it unless they actually knew the specific reason that it would work. It was foolish to reveal his powers to two cops. But he REEEAAALLLY wanted to nail Connors. So he did it, so he could. And he did.
Or did he? Next week's preview hints at an upcoming mess due to O'Reilly's boyfriend in the fridge.
Yes, I noticed the Misty name-drop too. That was awesome.
This show continues to knock my socks off. Best Marvel show ever. *****.
Marvel's Spider-Man "Venom Returns"
All right but that double-bluff shouldn't have fooled Jameson for a second. He knows there's a second Spider-Man, and he's heard both of their voices. He should be able to put together that Spider-Man is Parker. Parker's Secret ID only works if you don't suspect him. Because he doesn't modulate his voice for Spidey if someone suspects him, they can easily correctly guess it's him. I get Jameson is stupid, but he shouldn't be that stupid.
What I like about this Jameson is that he shares all of the other Jameson's rare virtue. He is fearless. He doesn't back down against bad guys, even when his life is threatened. The other aspect I've always liked about Jameson is that he has always been willing to lie to villains to protect the people he cares about, even under threat of death. We haven't seen that aspect yet here, but I hope we do eventually.
This was nice and all, but the logic of the double-bluff doesn't hold together well at all. ***.
Marvel Funko "Magnet Mayhem"
Why wasn't Iron Man sucked up by the magnet?
Do any of these Funko shorts have dialogue?
All right. ***.
Big Hero 6 "Killer App"
That was cute and funny.
Fred's expression over the crying woman hugging him was funny. She's too weird, even for him.
I like Wasabi acknowledging Hiro is better at insults than him.
How could Wasabi possibly fit into Hiro's armor?
Good episode. DuckTales and Tangled had bad weeks so it's nice this show delivered. ****.
DuckTales "The Other Bin Of Scrooge McDuck!"
The Dreamcatcher ending meant the episode was a cop-out so I didn't like it.
Gavin was funny though, although I kind of feel like he should have gotten a bigger comeuppance at the end.
Easter Eggs: Pep is still a thing. The Webby doll is the original Webby design. Scrooge's Number 1 dime was earned in 1877.
Unsuccessful episode. At least we learned that Lena is ultimately good. **.
DuckTales "Dewey Dew-Night: Will It Crash?!"
Oooh, rare appearance from Donald!
For some reason, I didn't feel the animation in this short was up to snuff. Do they use a different animation studio for the shorts? Because I notice the Big Hero 6 shorts have inferior animation too. ***1/2.
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure "Freebird"
Oh, that pushed all of the wrong buttons.
Seriously. How stupid is Rapunzel? It spoke volumes that it turns out all of the other victims were children. Rapunzel should never be portrayed as this stupid. It is SO obvious that couple was sinister that I can't believe they fell for it.
And Rapunzel kept wanting to stay out even though there was a time limit attached to the power. Staying out for an hour was a stupid idea to begin with.
Speaking of stupid, I can't believe Lance, Eugene, and Hookfoot are standing in the cage preening over how strong they each are, when they should be escaping the cage and getting the eggs. And considering how near the time limit Rapunzel was, why wasn't she given one of the first of the eggs? There are just so many holes in the episode and SO much plot related stupidity that I am very unhappy.
This season is officially starting to worry me. If this were the first underwhelming episode, I wouldn't care, but we haven't really had a good one, much less a great one yet. *.
Elena Of Avalor "The Scepter Of Night"
Glad the good guys won that one. Because I did NOT see it as a foregone conclusion for once. Mateo's behavior was outright alarming.
Good episode. ****.
Muppet Babies "Upside-Down Day / Tooth And Consequences"
Upside-Down Day:
I love that the Babies paint Miss Nanny from the waist down.
Dr. Gonzo is sure cute. But the rest of the cartoon was a mountain of cliches. ***.
Tooth And Consequences:
Where has Gonzo seen that guy before?
I love that the Tooth Fairy is Rizzo. I laughed when he was busted at the end.
Great Uncle Schnozzie's song was great too. ****.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
Muppet Babies "The Great Gonzo's Grand Prix / Animal Kong"
The Great Gonzo's Grand Prix:
I realize again upon watching this something the show has hinted at, and has got to be true of all versions of Gonzo. Being Gonzo's friend must be a trial. He values weird and ridiculous things, and expects you to play along with the danger and the crazy as if it is perfectly normal. The Muppet Show never explored the outside friendships of The Muppets, but it strikes me as criminal that the Bill Prady mockumentary from a couple of years ago never actually portrayed Gonzo as such an impossible to like nuisance. They sort of inexplicably gave that role to Scooter, whereas Gonzo has always had the legit claim to it. I like that this show, as mild as it is, has the Babies as frustrated with Gonzo as they actually should be. We think Miss Piggy is a narcissist. And she is. But only when it involves things she likes, or gets overexcited about. Gonzo literally has to make everything about himself, not only in this episode, but it seems to me in EVERY episode. He is a trial of a friend. It's lucky he's so d*mn cute.
For some reason, Statler and Waldorf as the wise and reasonable adults just don't sit right.
I squeed in delight that Kermit sailed the Jolly Roger. Until he took the name "Captain Greenbeard" instead of "Captain Smollet". Then I groaned. Know your canon, Muppet Babies.
Relatively cute. ***1/2.
Animal Kong:
I have never seen a version of Baby Animal this legitimately scary. Animal on The Muppet Show is actually quite scary, but they decided to make him the most harmless and youngest baby on the old show. Here, his tantrum is quite alarming. The other Muppets are unhappy, but were I them, I'd actually be afraid.
Kermit is about to say to Rizzo that it is unlikely they'll ever meet another rat as smart as Rizzo, but no Kermit, you DON'T have to actually finish a compliment that stupid.
I didn't like this. **.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Mystic Mayhem"
That is going to cause a fuss. That will create a stir. That will be polarizing.
Personally? I loved it. I haven't enjoyed a Turtles project this much in years. But a lotta hatas gonna hate.
Brief Turtle opinion history from me. I was 13 when the 1987 series debuted. I really loved the five part pilot, but I thought every episode after that was boring and nowhere near as interesting as the black and white comics. I thought the first movie was one of the better comic book adaptations I had seen at the time, and I saw both underwhelming sequels years later and wasn't sad I skipped them in the theater. Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was a visually interesting idea that unfortunately had bad scripts and villains, and Venus underwhelmed. I think the 2003 series was the definitive Turtles project to me, and the CGI animated TMNT movie was underpraised. I've only seen the first Michael Bay film and that is the worst thing in the franchise. The second worst thing? The 2012 series.
And that is where I part ways with the fandom who loves it. I cannot stand that badly written piece of garbage. So maybe you should know the real reason I view this project favorably is because I thought the last project did so wrong by the viewers in every conceivable way. Me watching this was show was like "Wait, I'm ALLOWED to enjoy a Turtles project?" I don't actually have to nitpick the show because it's ostensibly a show about Ninjas but the brothers loudly blunder around on covert missions as if they are the Three Stooges and Roger Rabbit? The Turtles can be funny without being stupid or incompetent? Why have I been denied this for so long? Why did the 2012 series make watching every episode a freaking ordeal? Why is it now the franchise is going back to the fun satire it is when it's at its best?
Let's talk about the good and the bad. First impressions can be wrong.
First off, I still hate the character designs, but the animation is AMAZING. If the trade-off to having free-wheeling, off the wall action to this is making the Turtles a little toonier than I'm comfortable with, well, the results speak for themselves. The 2003 series had surprisingly good animation for low budget and its era in history, but this blows it away. And honestly, I think the animation in the 2012 series is really bad. Outside of the Star Wars cartoons and Transformers Prime there are not a ton of CGI TV cartoons that look good. That's because CGI is expensive, and kids cartoons are usually a budget medium. Therefore New York always seemed empty, and whenever it wasn't a season finale, the action in the fight scenes, while landing well, seemed sort of overly choreographed and conventional. This is just bananas. Granted, it's just the first episode, and maybe that was this show upping the game and budget just this once. But the truth is, the 2012 series' animation got better every year. This is not like the 2003 series that went backward in the last two seasons. Animation techniques are improving so rapidly that a show can cut its budget every year and still wind up looking better. That wasn't the case in the mid aughts. But now, I think what we were given might not simply be the show at its best. It might simply be the tip of the iceberg.
I like that they didn't do an origin story. Maybe they will down the line, but that sets this apart from the other Turtle stuff. And so much stuff is set apart that I am willing to see the show take chances and mess with the formula a bit. Part of the reason I hated 2012 so much is that they were ruining a ton of great source material. If it's a non-factor here, of course I can sit back and enjoy the series more and on its own merits. It's crazy more shows based on comic books don't try this to begin with. But we've gotten to the point where maybe stepping away a bit from the huge amount of canon will be healthy.
I like the humor. It's urban, and half the cast is African American, and it strikes me as observational too. The quips are things you'd hear somebody say on Park and Recreation. The characters are funny, self-aware, and not actually stupid. They don't overexplain their jokes to each other or the audience and nobody cares.
I hope they don't say "Leon" too often though. It hits the ear wrong.
I also like that the brothers are much less contentious. That was a great source of occasional drama in the 2003 series, and I think the TMNT movie was amazing because of it. But it was unending on the 2012 show, and nobody ever learned a lesson, or at least carried what they learned in one episode over to the next, which was tiring. There was no growth. That might not have been an issue if the Turtles weren't so unprofessional, incompetent, and stupid on their missions. Silly me, I had assumed that that would be a season one problem, and the hook of the show would be watching the team grow together into an amazing fighting force. And the freaking series finale is literally the Turtles getting every single one of their allies killed because they suck at their job so much. Yay, closure, am I right?
Here the Turtles joke around on the mission, but they don't eff it up, or at least eff it up in a way that damages anything. The 2012 Turtles were responsible for so much misery and destruction in New York City just based on how carelessly they handled the Mutagen containers alone. I will rest easy that I will not be watching a show where the Turtles mutate April's father because they were petty bickering when their friend actually needed them. And the crazy thing is, that watching these Turtles work well together like a well oiled machine tells me that that specific sort of conflict was always unnecessary and made the 2012 show worse for no good reason. That's probably why all of the in-fighting on the 2003 versions stayed in the sewers and they rocked the missions. If there IS gonna be upcoming conflict I hope they do the same thing. They are off to a good start.
The 2012 show was nonstop unforced errors, and if anything, I suspect this show is going to prove how unnecessary and stupid every single one of those mistakes was. I already like the first episode of this show better than every episode of the 2012 show. And there WERE admittedly episodes of that show that I liked. But I had few real complaints here and my gripes were unending even during the rare good weeks on the last iteration.
Can't wait for more. I expect good things. ****1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Newsworthy"
Back to the Turtles being incompetent. The twist? They mess up against a foe that doesn't actually matter and don't lose anything.
I loved them looking in horror at Leo just cutting that worm in half. What a hilarious line reading from Raph on "Leo, what did you just do?"
I love that Raph WANTS to wear the costume. Supposedly the thing that only Mikey used to enjoy is actually a leader perk on this show. Good to know.
That joke about the Turtles using math to nitpick Stone's quip about not growing back four sizes and two strengths was a REALLY smart joke. I love the 2003 series, but it was NOT known for smart jokes. This is probably the first smart Turtles project.
Fun. ****.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Origami Tsunami"
Oh, these Turtles got it covered. It don't matter HOW much they mess up. The salami paper doesn't work? Donnie put a tracker in it! Braap! Don't worry, he put in two! These guys have contingencies.
"Look, they're gone!" "Then what are we looking at?" That is both a very smart joke and a very stupid joke at the same time.
I love that Leo is a bit of coward. I love that he wants to make sure the first adventure is Junior Mystery material. These are not the Turtles rushing out to face spine crushers and manglers. Nope. And when he see how impressive the Foot he's like, "Well, we outnumber you 2 to 1. Maybe we'll just call it even and go home." That's is SO freaking funny.
I love the other Turtles reactions to Raph eating the salami. Somehow I don't think the five second rule was intended to count former salami glop monsters. That is NOT what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they invented it.
Funny episode. And the animation was again amazing. ****1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Repo Mantis"
That was more slight than the other episodes (only Donnie and Mikey appear) but it's funny, and the facial expression are top-notch and hilarious.
When that guys all "Dogs have 8 nipples" I was like "This is not your father's TMNT cartoon."
Michael is similar to Leon in hitting the ear wrong. Stop it.
All right but the weakest episode so far. **1/2.
Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "War And Pizza"
Okay, so I've added the figures and done the math, and according to my calculations, forgetting to change a battery in a remote control is a completely plausible reason for a robot to become evil and gain sentience and start destroying the building. Totally checks out. How? Shut up, that's how.
So apparently Donnie's type is giant, adorable, and sinister. Thank God it's not actually April. 2012 Donnie perving on a clearly cringing 2012 April never stopped being creepy.
I love that Alberto is moved that he finally gets a birthday, and April just destroys the moment and starts demolishing him with a sledgehammer. Can I just say how glad I am Happy Birthday is public domain again? Pop culture has immediately started to suck less since it became so.
Donatello reminds me of David Cross. He's the funny one.
Fun episode. April's fired. ****.
Colony "Bonzo"
Exciting episode. I loved it when Will told Katie she was a liability. I didn't agree with him, but I love that he said it. Her being so angry at that was great drama.
Bram's stuff with Gracie is getting interesting. Although I wouldn't trust that Captain.
Broussard continues to be amazing and Snyder continues to be despicable.
That teaser was messed up.
Great episode. ****1/2.
