Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1255374-20151111163045/@comment-27062516-20151202161442

Gilgameshkun wrote: One of my closest TMNT fan friends just posted a very good criticism of 2K12, touching on the subject of how the reason they killed off Splinter is a symptom of a greater problem.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=187469787&postcount=696

One of his central criticisms is not just that the show is trying too hard now to become just like the 1987 series, but that in doing so, it's gradually destroying the sense of family the show once fostered and once had in common with other versions of TMNT (outside the 1987 series).

And he's right. Every last damn word. And it's frustrating as hell. I disagree with that. Aside from wanting to pull off an ambitious game changer, I believe that the team knew how they wanted to end the episode, they just didn't really know how to get there. Obviously, those final scenes are some of the most beautiful and best handled scenes this show has produced--not to mention the fact that they need to get the turtles into space somehow for the following season. But I felt Brandon Auman wrote himself into a bit of a corner when he got near the end of the episode where he probably felt that the only way to get forward with the conclusion was to (slightly) cheat his way out of it, hence Splinter being killed the way he was. As others have said, it was quite a stretch even given Saki's motivation going back to TotY.

Besides, aside from the fact that they're on their own again this half season, the scene where the turtle embraced their dead father, is one reason that I'd also call it a stretch (at least for now) to say that the family element is gone. After all, they've left other family behind when the Earth was destroyed (the Mutanimals most of all) and that's why they're following Honeycutt to the end of the universe. Leaving Earth to save it  (even after Honeycutt restores it) and those they love should show just how desperate the turtles are for the ones closest to them.

Not to mention the fact that since Season 4 premiered and Honeycutt set things back, well...it never happened (at least for now).