We're still less than two years away from the sequel to "Mutant Mayhem", but the holidays have brought us the second season of the in-universe series "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Much of what worked from the first season carries over here, but a different approach has some costs and benefits.
While the first season was divided into two six-episode arcs, season two has four stories divided into three episodes each. Similar to season four of "Young Justice", each arc puts the spotlight on one of the Turtles.
The first arc of the season focuses on Raph as he competes in a Mutant Battle Arena run by the Purple Dragons street gang, unaware that he's the only one competing willingly. Raph's arc involves his love of fighting which is so intense that it can make Goku's look tame at times. He eventually gets overwhelmed when even his brothers and Splinter (though it's not explained how he gets caught compared to everyone else) are ensnared and he has to learn how to strategize over jumping headfirst into a fight. On a side note, I believe the outfit Mikey is made to wear while under mind control is a reference to the "Last Ronin" comics.
What made this arc interesting to me was trying to analyze Raph's mindset. As a hormonal teenager, I think fighting is his way of releasing a lot of pent-up feelings he's dealing with. This does however leave him vulnerable to what could be considered grooming by the Purple Dragons and he's unaware of the negative aspects until it's too late.
What made this arc interesting to me was trying to analyze Raph's mindset. As a hormonal teenager, I think fighting is his way of releasing a lot of pent-up feelings he's dealing with. This does however leave him vulnerable to what could be considered grooming by the Purple Dragons and he's unaware of the negative aspects until it's too late.
The next story is Donnie's, where we see him and the other Turtles take on a new batch of mutants (including fan favorites Tokka and Rahzar) created by a mad scientist seeking to stabilize his creations. Donnie is specifically sought out due to being the smart one, which plays into his arc. He feels isolated because his brothers don't share his scientific interests but at the same time is looked at to solve such problems while in the field, making him feel taken for granted.
There's a definite horror vibe to the arc, with a secret lab in an abandoned warehouse, the new mutants being more monstrous compared to all the others we've seen up to now, and plenty of jump scares. I think this is what makes this arc my favorite of the season, and watching this around Halloween would be very fitting.
There's a definite horror vibe to the arc, with a secret lab in an abandoned warehouse, the new mutants being more monstrous compared to all the others we've seen up to now, and plenty of jump scares. I think this is what makes this arc my favorite of the season, and watching this around Halloween would be very fitting.
And while I won't go into spoilers, there's some connections to the movie and the origins of the Turtles and Mutanimals that make for an interesting parallel.
Leo is up next as we dive into his hero fantasies, wanting to be like Batman in particular (which I totally get). He starts to patrol the streets as the Night Ninja, which I think is an interesting role reversal if you remember Raph's time as the Nightwatcher back in the 2007 film. Although his brothers decide to play along and disguise themselves as well. Though much like Kick-Ass, the fantasy leads to real life situations that get out of hand. They attract the attention of Scratch, a mutant cat who has a vendetta against Splinter and the Turtles, despite the fact they have no idea who he is. The best way to describe Scratch is that he's a poor man's Shredder, which I believe to be the intent. He has goals and works to accomplish them, but he's not as suave of a criminal mastermind that thinks he is about it.
One hang-up I have about this arc is that the reason the Turtles dress up to fight crime is that Donnie points out that vigilantism is illegal. So I get that this version of the Turtles are public figures and they've mostly dealt with extreme threats like Superfly and the Mechazoids, but doesn't that justify them getting a pass by the police in fighting normal crime? How much more do they need to do for the city?
One hang-up I have about this arc is that the reason the Turtles dress up to fight crime is that Donnie points out that vigilantism is illegal. So I get that this version of the Turtles are public figures and they've mostly dealt with extreme threats like Superfly and the Mechazoids, but doesn't that justify them getting a pass by the police in fighting normal crime? How much more do they need to do for the city?
The season wraps with Mikey and his unlikely friendship with Rod, Bishop's slacker assistant from last season. The two share interests and hang out, despite Mikey's brothers and other friends hating him and Rod constantly trying to get mutant blood so he can mutate himself. Rod gets kidnapped when he seemingly acquires mutant blood and Mikey leads the investigation into finding him. I personally found this to be the weakest arc of the whole series, especially since they hardly put effort into hiding who kidnapped Rod and even that gets semi-dropped by the second act with the focus being shifted to Rod's family drama. And while I've enjoyed the series maintaining the tone set from the movie, I think they may have been pushing it with what I can only describe as people dressed as "Eyes Wide Shut" style furries.
Between the two, I think season one was better. While the three-episode formula is more digestible, I found season two to lack the kind of sprawling story I've come accustomed to from this universe, especially with the quick wrap-ups following the climaxes.
I suppose I should discuss the elephant in the room of the show's canonicity. Something I missed during the initial viewing of season one but caught in subsequent viewings and going through season two is that each arc may not have actually happened, with a framing device in use where one of the Turtles tell their "tale." I wouldn't be opposed to an anthology approach, but there's the fact that plot elements and characters from stories are either referenced or carried over to later ones no matter which Turtle is telling the story. For example, the Mechazoid arc from season one was Leo's story but we see the Purple Dragons appear in Raph's subsequent stories and Rod is a central part of Mikey's. Since we have these overlaps between the Turtles' stories, I'd like to think that maybe they're drawing inspiration from their personal lives but putting their own flair on them. Otherwise, it feels like they're making fan fiction about themselves and the series is a waste of time.
I suppose I should discuss the elephant in the room of the show's canonicity. Something I missed during the initial viewing of season one but caught in subsequent viewings and going through season two is that each arc may not have actually happened, with a framing device in use where one of the Turtles tell their "tale." I wouldn't be opposed to an anthology approach, but there's the fact that plot elements and characters from stories are either referenced or carried over to later ones no matter which Turtle is telling the story. For example, the Mechazoid arc from season one was Leo's story but we see the Purple Dragons appear in Raph's subsequent stories and Rod is a central part of Mikey's. Since we have these overlaps between the Turtles' stories, I'd like to think that maybe they're drawing inspiration from their personal lives but putting their own flair on them. Otherwise, it feels like they're making fan fiction about themselves and the series is a waste of time.
Not that the issue matters going forward as the show will not be returning for a third season. To be fair though, two seasons was always the plan, especially since they were meant to tide fans over in the years between the two movies (at least before the sequel was delayed). I also understand that they need to save some parts of the Turtles mythos for the big screen.
In any case though, "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was a mostly fun addition to the "Mutant Mayhem" canon and the Turtles franchise altogether.
In any case though, "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was a mostly fun addition to the "Mutant Mayhem" canon and the Turtles franchise altogether.
