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Sodios:
"Same as it Never was" By: Josh Adachi Hi, and welcome to the commencement article of Sodios, a column where I write about the craziest thing I've seen on TV all week. The episode I'll be recapping today's actually inspired this column, so don't be surprised if I sound a bit like a kid ranting about his favorite cartoon show... because i'm not... (maybe)... Anyways, currently the Kids WB is doing a countdown of best TMNT episodes as voted by fans and today's episode was #7. This episode's ranking either proves that children have sophisticated taste, or that a bunch of otakus are spamming kids websites, because this episode is dark. While this episode uses an alternate timeline plot-cheat to keep the numerous deaths that occur from being permanent, the distopian world of this episode is so rich and fleshed out that it sparks the imagination and really stays with you. In fact, one YouTuber has even gone so far as create a great opening sequence to a would-be series based on this episode.
The episode begins normally enough, with the Turtles chilling out in the sewer. They are attacked by a time manipulating villain that accidentally warps Donatello 30 years into the future. This means that Donatello was not present for those 30 years weakening the Turtles and allowing Shredder to become the supreme ruler of earth. I realize that this scenario requires a leap of faith as the wussiness of Donatello seems to be a lingering question for even the writers of the series, but as Michaelangelo explains, Donatello was the passive, syrupy goo that held them together and without him they disbanded (which probably means Raph and Leo couldn't get along). Personally, I think any three Turtles, with Splinter and Casey Jones, would have done a better job keeping the Shredder at bay than this, but the atmosphere of the episode is so enticing this is a small pill to take to exist in this universe.
I said this episode is dark but how dark is it really, you ask? Think missing body parts dark. Michaelangelo has lost an arm and wields a single nunchuk. Leo and Raph had a falling out and Leo is missing both of his eyes (if that doesn't imply two sais in yo face! I don't know what does). Raph is missing an eye too, but what's worse is he's lost his 'tude. When he sees Donatello for the first time in 30 years, he hugs him with unrestrained compassion. The Turtles have come to such a bleak time that there is no room for sarcasm or witty remarks. Besides Leo and Raph, who only agree to work together for one last Donatello-led suicide mission, the Turtles are simply happy to see each other before they die (even Leo and Raph have a sort of reconcilatory moment albeit a tragic one). "Zatoich... I mean, Leonardo, the blind swordsman"
This episode also happens to look pretty good, and the animation seems
a step above most episodes. It's as if everyone from the
writers
to the in-betweeners gave just a little bit more of a crap about it.
The content of the show breaks some TMNT standards and
probably
rubbed the FCC as well, as the Turtles are resigned to raise
bullet-shooting
guns against their
impossible odds. Although the guns are only used against robots,
the writers use some FCC jiu-jitsu and have April O' Neil
actually take out a human with a rocket launcher.
As for the recipient of the aforementioned rocket, I won't spoil it for you, nor will I go into details about the final battle. What I will say is it's pretty awesome, despite the fact that probably too many characters die, and the Shredder looks kinda stupid.
I spent the rest of the day thinking about this alternate TMNT universe and what could have been if the U.S. took a more anime-like approach to its cartoons. The Turtles could have grown up with us, rather than been continually regurgitated to the next group of 7-12 year olds, and we could be watching some very exciting Adult Mutant Ninja Turtle drama. However, I told my girlfriend about the episode later that day, about how Michaelangelo was missing an arm and how humans were forced into labor camps, etc., and her response was, "What's the point of making a cartoon like that?" I replied with something about how it just showed the painful side of fighting for good, and she said, "hearing about that episode makes me feel weird." And as shallow as that response first sounded to me, she did have a point. What's the point of having a cartoon about humanoid kung-fu fighting turtles if it wasn't STUPID FUN? It was not without some degree of sadness that I shed my day-old otaku skin, but in the end I appreciated this episode for exactly what it was: a brief glimpse into the possibilities of an adult TMNT- one that revealed just how much these characters mean to us, and how much dramatic weight they could carry, but also one that neatly puts itself away and lets us live our lives without worrying which of our childhood heroes was going to be severely maimed next.
You can watch the full episode here or at youtube (where they throw in the alternate intro for a cool effect). p.s. Although, I haven't read the comics, it has come to my attention that this episode is heavily inspired by certain TMNT comics, so you might want to check out the TMNT Future Trilogy from Archie comics and TMNT's run in Image.
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