First, I want to start with Sonic Boom, since that will be shorter. They have officially announced a premiere date: NOVEMBER 8!! I am super excited for this new TV show. It reminds me of a modern version of "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" from the 1990s. However, it seems smarter in some ways and also has a whole new cast of characters (like Shadow!). From what I have seen so far, it is obvious that this show is meant for younger kids, but that won't stop this Mobian from tuning in on November 8 to watch Sonic the Hedgehog return. Let the new generation of Mobians rise! :D
Now on to the main event: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I want to talk about a couple of things here, just because I can. First and foremost: a recap of what we saw in Season 2. *SPOILERS TO FOLLOW*
One thing that really stands out to me is how far Karai has come in this season. When we saw her in Episode 3, "Follow the Leader," she really had it out for the Turtles and Master Splinter while the Shredder was away. She tried (and failed) to capture them several times. This continued on until about two-thirds of the way through the season, when, in Episode 19, "The Wrath of Tiger Claw," Karai finally realized that Splinter was her true father. I have to say I cried when, in Episode 22, "Vengeance is Mine," Karai hugged Splinter for the first time. It was a moment I had been waiting for ever since the end of Season 1. I still hate that Karai was mutated, but I also trust the writers of this series to resolve that conflict in a satisfying way.
Long story short, Karai made some huge progress as a character in this season, and I am anxious to see what will happen next - especially since Leo still can't seem to wrap his mind around the fact that she is his sister.
Second, Casey Jones! I was so excited when he made his big debut in Episode 4, "Mutagen Man Unleashed." I had been a fan of Apritello until that point. From the moment he winked at April and introduced himself, I was like, "Oh, yeah. Casey wins. Hands down." And that remains true to this day, at least for me. I know a lot of Shellheads out there who still ship Apritello, and that's great. But as for me, it will always be Capril, hands down. I have my reasons for that, but I won't go into it here. The main point I want to make with Casey is that he really shook things up, and not just because of April and Donnie. His introduction to the Turtles was a huge deal. I loved the Casey vs. Raphael fight in Episode 8, "The Good, the Bad, and Casey Jones." Again, I had been waiting for that for a while, so when it happened I was fangirling really hard.
I like how this season explored a new aspect of Casey - his fear of rats. I thought it was humorous as well as interesting. He seems to have overcome his fear of Splinter, at least, thought I can't say that for rats in general. Casey and the Turtles really hit it off, too. He and Raph are best friends now, it seems, while his relationship with Leo and Mikey seems equivalent to April's. However, he and Donnie obviously have issues. One thing I do like, though, is that when it comes down to the core of things, the two really care for each other. Feelings for April aside, they truly are friends. But as soon as the redhead comes into the scene - poof! Frenemies to the end. I'll explore a bit more of that later in this post.
In conclusion: I love Casey Jones, and I'm rooting for Capril all the way! I look forward to seeing the love triangle develop more in Season 3.
All right. Irma. I suppose I must. I have never liked Irma in this series - she is so annoying! Every time I get excited about Casey and April being on a date, it's like, "Oh, never mind, Irma is with them." She wasn't as boy-crazy as she was in the 1987 series, but she still played the part of the odd-but-somehow-likeable best friend of April's. So when it was revealed in the Season 2 Finale that Irma was actually a Kraang undercover...holy cow! Let's just say I did not see THAT coming! Part of me is glad to see her go because I never did like her to begin with, but another part of me is going to miss her at least a little. I mean...she was one of only three females on the show. (Well, sort of...looking back on it now, knowing that a male Kraang was in there is kind of creepy.)
Basically, all I have to say about her is good riddance. Now maybe Casey and April can have a REAL date!
Just a few more minor notes before I move on:
Slash was an awesome addition to this show. Bittersweet at first, because he WAS Raph's pet, after all...but ultimately, I loved his character for the few episodes we saw him. I hope he returns in Season 3.
TIGER CLAW. Oh my word, what can I say?? He has got to be my favorite villain. His introduction was epic, his return was even more epic, and his continued presence as Shredder's second in command is the most epic thing ever! I am always excited to see him in an episode.
I can't wait to see Bebop and Rocksteady in Season 3. They had a teaser episode, but it wasn't enough! I need more!
Finally, concerning Dominic Catrambone, who was the voice of Leonardo from Episodes 18-26. I have to say I totally misjudged him back when I posted my first Nerd Rage. At the time, I was really upset about Jason Biggs' being fired from the show, but as time went on, I came to understand why he was removed. I will still miss him, but you know, being kicked off the cast of TMNT was his own fault. Dominic did really well filling in for Leo, all things considered. I know Nick tried to voice match him to Jason, but there was enough of a difference that it didn't really work out that way. Still, he played the part with satisfactory results. He was well received by fans. I wish they would have kept him, but alas, it was not meant to be. So to him I say: Thank you for being an awesome Leonardo. You will be missed. (And sorry I went into nerd rage at first.)
Now for the grand finale: What did I think of the Season 3 Premiere?
Well, I've watched the episode twelve times already, if that's any indication.
There were a lot of things I loved about "Within the Woods." I primarily liked the character development surrounding Leo, but I'll get to that in a minute. First for the small stuff. I loved the references to the 1990 TMNT movie, in which the Turtles were forced to flee from NYC with Casey and April and live in a farmhouse for a couple of months. The roles of Leo and Raph were switched in this episode (in the movie Raph was the one who was badly hurt, not Leo), but I think I loved it even more because of that.
Something I really enjoyed in this episode was the brief Casey vs. Donnie spat. I was like, "It's about time!" I know it was just for fun, but there was some real motivation behind it, and I was so excited to see it finally happening, because I knew one day it would have to come up eventually. It was too short for me, but you know, I'll take what I can get.
I also liked the Creep. Well, as much as I could, anyway. His creation was something we haven't seen before in this series - born from turtle vomit, which was mostly mutagen, but not 100% as with the other mutants in the show. In addition to that, the Creep was a creature of the swamp instead of an animal, and he was not human before transformation. That's new! We have seen plant mutations before (as with Snake in the first episode of Season 1), but nothing like this. Besides all that, the Creep was - well - creepy! He freaked me out a little. (The music in this episode was creepy, too, which helped to set the mood even more.)
All right. Now for the big one: Seth Green as the new, official voice of Leonardo. How did he do?
First let me say that I especially love how they explain Leo's voice change. Obviously when he wakes up from his coma his voice is completely different (courtesy of Seth), but at least they explained the change. Because of his epic fight with the Shredder, Leo sustained damage to his throat, which permanently altered his voice. He will sound different for the rest of his life. I love that! This is the first time we have seen an injury majorly affect a character like this (unless you count SAINW, which I don't, in this case), and the fact that it is brand new really excites me. Plus it makes it easier to get used to the new voice, at least for me.
Seth certainly brings a fresh perspective to Leonardo's character. Our hero has learned much and has matured even more now after his fight with the Shredder. His voice change is a permanent reminder of what he went through and the changes he will have to come to terms with from now on. Seth's voice will take a bit of getting used to, but I think he definitely has potential to bring something new to Leo's character while still keeping him in his place as the leader in blue. I look forward to more new episodes with Seth Green as Leo.
Well, that's all for now. I just kind of got in the mood to do a full-on, in-depth look into my thoughts on TMNT 2012's recent episodes. My favorites from Season 2 are:
- 3 - Follow the Leader
- 4 - Mutagen Man Unleashed
- 7 - Slash and Destroy
- 13-14 - The Manhattan Project
- 19 - The Wrath of Tiger Claw
- 22 - Vengeance is Mine
- 25-26 - The Invasion
What I am most looking forward to in Season 3:
- Leonardo's character development
- Karai's character development
- Casey x April x Donnie
- The introduction of the Punk Frogs
- New villains (i.e. Bebop and Rocksteady)
- How the Turtles will take back NYC, reunite with Splinter, and take down the Shredder once and for all!
BOOYAKASHA!!
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