It honestly seems like its weeks in between each episode of TMNT. Its very frustrating as a fan to have to endure these big breaks. Lucky for us TMNT was back last week (apologies for the late review) and we're back to dealing with the Krang.

After the previous episodes freak of the week format, it was refreshing to have a return to the over arching story. Especially something that doesn't seem to get brought up very often. April's kidnapped father.

When there's an April-centric episode you know Donni wont be far behind, and this week was no exception. I honestly like how they portray Donni in this series but this infatuation with April is kinda creepy. I mean imagine these were REAL giant mutant turtles. Shes a high school girl. Its Creepy. At least Raph touched on it a few times this week. Hopefully Donni will be able to put it behind him when Casey Jones joins the picture next season.

The episode gets going when April gets a secret message from her dad. When Donni decodes it he learns that Mr. Oneal is being held in a secret Krang facility. Which in retrospect is very convenient. How was he able to send the message if he was locked up. (more on that later) Donni, in an attempt to impress April, goes off to rescue Mr. Oneal on his own. The rest of the turtles quickly find out and follow. But not before Donni gets himself into more trouble by releasing all the prisoners in the Krang facility, Including the very cool Newtralizer (or however you spell it)

The turtles end up saving Mr. Oneal and defeating the Newtralizer after some very well executed fight scenes. (I'm getting tires of saying it. I might only mention the fight scenes if they are EVER bad) But we quickly discover that there was more to this episode then we thought. Turns out that having the turtles rescue Mr. Oneal was apart of Shredder's and the Krang's plan and that Mr, Oneal himself isn't all that he appears to be either. Poor April, that girl cant seem to catch a break.

As a whole I really enjoyed this weeks episode. It was funny, action packed and more complex than any one-off episode. Lets hope we can continue with these story threads as we finish up this first season.

A Few Side Notes:

How awesome was the Newtralizer? Its the only Krang experiment that uses weapons (hand cannons no less!) and I'd love to see the origin of this character.
Mikey: "You named something without me!" . The running jokes are great.
Any episode with Splinter makes it that much better.
If the turtles have to abandon their sweet underground home because of Mr. Oneal I'm going to be pissed.

May 22, 2025

SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.

May 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.

May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.

May 2, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

I'm sorry to tell you all, but we're already halfway through this final season of 'Andor'. Fortunately, the quality hasn't dipped one bit as we accelerate into the finish. Join Julian and Rachel as they savour every minute of this 3-episode arch that takes us to Ghorman for the first time on screen. Tony Gilroy and the team at Lucasfilm outdid themselves yet again in crafting every detail. The size of the set alone is impressive, but they take it a step further by developing a unique culture and even language different from anything we've seen in Star Wars before. It all fits seamlessly into this next chapter of the story that has a heavy emphasis on spycraft as the pressure ramps up for both the Rebellion and the Empire.

TMNT S1E24: "Operation Break Out" Review

Support the Show

REcent Episodes

Tower of Babble Podcast