Return of the Technodrome

Return of the Technodrome is episode number 18 of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. It is the final episode of season 2 (1988).

Plot Summary
At Channel 6, Irma asks her friend April O'Neil when April will meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. April says they are not the most exciting thing in her life. Burne Thompson tells April it is a slow news day and to go out and make news.

Meanwhile in the sewer system under New York City, Splinter leaves the TMNT for his tri-annual three days fast and meditation. April comes and hopes for a story. Raphael  says it is a big city so something is bound to happen.

Krang wants to destroy the TMNT, saying Shredder has let those turtles escape for the last time. Krang wants to re-power the Technodrome and send it from Dimension X to Earth. Shredder is shocked at this. Shredder takes Bebop and Rocksteady to Niagara Falls, which is on the border between the United States and Canada, and uses Krang's "polarity deflector" to transport the Technodrome to Niagara Falls. Shredder takes over the Niagara Falls power plant and shuts off power to New York City. They route the power to the Technodrome instead.

Leo assumes Shredder is responsible for the power outage. Donatello listens to Krang and Shredder's plan using a communicator, and learn that Shredder has been sent a small contigent of Foot and rock soldiers.

When the TMNT and April arrive at the Niagara Falls in their blimp, they are attacked by Bebop and Rocksteady. Bebop shoots down the blimp's glider with his laser gun. Donatello saves the TMNT and April by using the blimps remote control, sending down the ropes from the blimps balloon. The TMNT and April fly away and safely land, hanging in the ropes as the glider falls down the waterfall.

The TMNT then encounter Splinter, who had seen the electricity coming out from the plant, creating a dimensional portal. Krang has the Technodrome prepare anti-gravity plates and it heads to the portal. The TMNT rush into the plant after distracting the Foot soldiers and Rocksteady and stop the flow of the river. But Krang re-opens the dimensional portal, and the Technodrome arrives. Krang is happy that the turtles will soon be crushed. The turtles, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers, wonder what to do now (Raphael says they could always hope an asteroid hits). Krang bids them farewell and tries to fire a laser gun from the Technodrome, but the gun doesn't work because Krang used to much power to keep the dimensional portal open.

Shredder reactivates the Hydro Electric Plant, which recharges the Technodrome. Krang burrows the Technodrome underground, causing an earthquake in New York City. Krang then takes over the TVs in the city, and demands that the inhabitants leave the city within 24 hours, or else Krang will cause a bigger earthquake, destroying the city. Krang had told Shredder he plotted to make the evacuated city their base of operations and from there they will use the capabilities to conquer the planet.

The TMNT, who had heard Krang's message, discover the Technodrome underground. Splinter says, "So begins the final battle." The TMNT break inside using a bomb. While Spliter fights Shredder in their "final confrontation" on a bridge inside the Technodrome, the TMNT fight Bebop, Rocksteady and the Foot Soldiers in the control room (after telling them not to use their weapons as it will damage the circuitry). Donatello fiddles with the wires.

When the inhabitants refuse to leave New York City, Krang tries to start another earthquake. However, when Donatello changed the wires in the control room it altered the seismic polarities and instead, the Technodrome drills deeper underground. Krang blames Shredder, whom is last seen dangling by his cape at the end of the broken bridge where he fought Splinter. The Technodrome comes down to the Earth's core and appears to sink in lava.

In the New York City sewer system, the TMNT celebrate their victory with pizza and April comments that it was a great story.

Writer

 * Michael Reaves

Character voices

 * Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
 * Donatello (Barry Gordon)
 * Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
 * Michelangelo  (Townsend Coleman)
 * Splinter (Peter Renaday)
 * April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs)
 * Burne Thompson (Pat Fraley)
 * Irma Langinstein (Jennifer Darling)
 * Shredder (James Avery)
 * Krang (Pat Fraley)
 * Bebop (Barry Gordon)
 * Rocksteady (Cam Clarke)

Locations

 * Turtle Lair
 * Channel 6
 * Shredder's hideout
 * Technodrome
 * Dimension X
 * Niagra Falls
 * Niagra Falls Power Station
 * Earth's crust
 * Earth's core

Vehicles

 * Turtle Blimp
 * Cheapskates
 * Technodrome
 * Rock Soldier Flying Jeep

Inventions/devices

 * Polarity Deflector
 * Turtlecoms
 * Turtle Blimp Remote Control
 * Exploding Ninja Star

DVD

 * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 2
 * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic Series Collection

=Notes=

Animation/Technical Errors

 * Throughout this episode, Donatello's mask and elbow pads are pink.
 * Krang is also coloured in a deeper red than his usual pink hue.
 * A little later, when Leonardo reaches for his Turtle-Com, he is drawn really, really fat.
 * And a bit later on, when Michelangelo says, "Yeah! Let's show those creepazoids what Turtle power is all about!" both him and Leonardo are drawn chubby.
 * When Donatello tunes his Turtle-Com and intercepts Shredder's message, his wrist bands are missing. Oddly, this error not only occurs in this scene, but several others later on as well.
 * Donatello and Michelangelo vanish when the Turtle Glider hits the water in one scene.
 * Donatello's belt buckle has an "L" on it as the Turtles dangle from the blimp.
 * Also during that scene, Donatello is at the top of the rope as the Turtles grab it. When the entire group lands, Leonardo's the one at the top.
 * Because of a possible layering error, Krang is seen in several shots piloting the Technodrome...several feet away from the controls. Maybe Splinter wasn't the only psychic on that show.
 * The window on Krang's exo-suit becomes narrow when Krang relates his plans of world domination to Shredder.
 * Krang should be taller than Shredder, and yet appears the same size or even smaller than him in some scenes.
 * The boots on Krang's android are flesh coloured like his body instead of the usual red.
 * Leonardo's mask and bands are coloured dark blue in this episode.
 * When Rocksteady lunges towards Leonardo in their fight in the Technodrome, he is missing his strap and bandolier and his belly is coloured the same as his vest.
 * When the Turtles, Splinter and April are knocked to the floor by Krang's earthquake, Leonardo and Raphael's letters on their belts are swapped.
 * At the beginning of the final scene, Splinter is eating from a sushi container but the container disappears in the next shot.
 * Rocksteady is missing his shoulder strap and his turtle shell is on the wrong hip when he is sleeping on the ground after being hit with Splinter's sleep spice.
 * The hand grips on Shredder's gauntlets are missing in the close up shot of him holding the Polarity Deflector after receiving the device from Krang.
 * When Rocksteady falls into the control console, the wiring terminal that Donatello is working on is replaced with a plain steel wall which he is seen fumbling his fingers on in a wiring altering position.
 * A Rock Soldier can be seen on the floor of the control circuit room after the fight with the Turtles, even though no Rock Soldiers were seen with Bebop and Rocksteady before they separated from Shredder earlier on.
 * When Shredder complained to Krang about the power being shut off, the shot of Krang at the controls showed a shot of Shredder at his hideout from the beginning of the episode instead of inside the power station.
 * When Shredder stopped Bebop, Rocksteady and the Foot Soldiers when he sensed Splinter's presence, Rocksteady's teeth flashed from white to grey and back when he was in the middle of talking.
 * Rocksteady's dagger disappeared and reappeared a couple of times after Shredder sent them to finish off the Turtles after he went off to deal with Splinter.
 * Leonardo and Donatello are missing their weapon covers for most of this episode and Michaelangelo's are not seen at all. Incidentally all the Turtles' weapon covers would not be seen at all on their belts starting from Season 3 onwards apart from various noted animated errors.

Continuity Errors

 * When April contacts the Turtles (a little while after Splinter leaves), Leonardo and the Turtles stop their hoverboards just short of the sewer entrance. When the scene cuts to Raphael saying, "You had to open your big mouth!" the Turtles are already in the sewer entrance.
 * During Leonardo's ambush of Rocksteady, Raphael causes the latter to blast a Rock Soldier and a Foot Soldier at point-blank range, rendering them unconscious in front of the doorway. Yet, once the Turtles regroup in front of that same passage, neither is seen. Where did they go?

Logic Errors

 * Upon intercepting Krang's orders to Shredder, Donatello says that he couldn't make out the transmission... right before saying in full detail what Krang's plans are. Huh?
 * Why didn't Bebop and the army open fire on the Turtle Glider as it passes by on the river? They just stare at it as it passes by.
 * Krang has his mortal enemies completely surrounded by his army, only for him to call them off five seconds later because he wants to do them in himself. And he proceeds to do this by...aiming an easily avoidable laser at them that conks out because the Technodrome is running on fumes as it is (something Krang himself commented on mere seconds ago.)
 * Come to think of it, what happened to all of those soldiers after Krang calls them off? There were probably hundreds of them (some of them in jeeps, no less) in one scene, only for that number to dwindle to a handful later on.
 * The Turtles prepare for the end as Krang aims a laser at them, and yet it doesn't occur to anyone that they can simply run away? The scene even suggests that the army that formerly surrounded them left a clear passage right behind them.

Nods and References

 * The way Splinter and Shredder can sense each other's presence is similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Trivia

 * Throughout the episode, Krang's suit appears to be smirking.
 * When Shredder throws a tantrum at the Turtles escaping, the animation makes him look like he's either dancing or throwing a fit.
 * First appearance of Donatello's "exploding throwing stars.
 * On the other hand, the fight does feature a nice bit of continuity with "Splinter No More", in that Splinter says that he no longer considers himself to be Hamato Yoshi, and now sees himself only as the Turtles' mentor.
 * The part where Michelangelo  tried to attack the Foot and Rock Soldiers with his nunchucks was omitted from all UK broadcastings of this episode due to censorship reasons.
 * The part where Donatello uses the exploding ninja star to blast a way into the Technodrome was deleted from the UK video releases of the episode for censorship reasons.
 * First time April enters the Technodrome.
 * Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello are missing their weapon sheaths throughout most of the episode.

Quotes
Donatello: I hate to say it, but with the Technodrome in Krang's control, we've got our shells to the wall!!

Leonardo: (to Splinter) Master, we must make plans to defeat Krang and Shredder!

Splinter: Unfortunately we can do little until we learn their plan, and by then it might be too late!!


 * - Splinter basically tells everyone they're in deep trouble.


 * Shredder: So Hamato Yoshi, It appears it is time for our final confrontation!
 * Splinter: Hamato Yoshi is no longer. There is only Splinter
 * Shredder: And soon he will be gone as well!!


 * Rocksteady: Me? (growls) You're about to get plasmarised!!