New York's Shiniest

New York's Shiniest is episode number fifteen of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. It is the tenth episode of season two (1988). This episode was written by Richard Merwin. It originally aired on December 3, 1988.

Plot Summary
The episode opens with the New York Skyline and fades to a ran-down building. Inside, The Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady are scheming on a new way to defeat the ninja turtles. Shredder's plan involves stealing the prototype robotic police officer the New York Police department is developing and re-programing it to attack the turtles.

April and Irma are then shown walking to April's apartment, where it is soon discovered that April is being robbed. After April is knocked down, the criminals leave with her belongings.

Back at the lair, the turtles are alerted to April's problems and rush to April's aid. While waiting, Irma convinces April it is in her best interest to use her current problems as a news story for Channel 6 news. She contacts police headquarters and uses some connections to get in.

The turtles are patrolling the streets, disguised in long trench coats and fedoras. While on patrol, they find the street punks selling April's goods. They quickly get the punks to flee by a show of strength (the four of them lift a van), and return April's possessions. April gets a lead on her story and leaves to a warehouse.

At a warehouse April finds a robotic police officer and named Rex-1. When two police officers discover April's presence, Rex-1 knocks them out. April tries to escape but discovers that Rex-1 (Robot Enforcement Experiment) is programmed to protect his "master". Rex-1 has finished cooking dinner for April when Irma arrives. In a few moments she has fallen in love with Rex-1. There is a knock at the door, and the two security guards threaten to break down the door. Rex-1 draws his laser and shoots the door. Before the smoke has cleared the two guards run.

April brings Rex-1 to the turtles' lair where once again, Donatello's favorite bo is broken. A fight is about to break out between the Mechanical Officer and the Turtles when April breaks it up and explains the situation. April convinces the turtles to scale the News 6 building and kidnap Vernen so he can tape April's news report. When Vernen fails to be able to do the job, Donatello takes the camera, proving once again that Vernen is useless. During her report, Shredder hacks into police headquarters, steals the plans for the REX-1 and puts into motion his plans for creating an army of robotic police officers to destroy the turtles.

After the turtles bring Vernen back home, the REX-1 clones attack the turtles. After the turtles are surrounded, Leonardo drives the turtle van off of the bridge in an effort to escape. The turtles are presumed dead by the robots, which are then sent on a looting spree of New York.

April and Splinter become worried when they are unable to contact the turtles, and form a search party. On the way, they get ambushed by a group of Shredder's robots; REX-1 is decommissioned in a gunfight, then Shredder's robots turn their attention on April and Splinter. At the last moment the turtles show up and save the day. Donatello gets an idea of how stop Shredder's mechanical stormtroopers.

Back at the lair, Donatello fixes REX-1, using Michelangelo's favorite movie tapes as parts for programing REX-1's new interface. REX-1 now has the ability to control Shredder's robots, but only at a small range. Splinter tells the turtles how to lure the robots into a trap. At a fair, using some fireworks, Splinter is able to create a picture of a turtle in the air as a sort of message. A robot in the area sees the fireworks and reports to Shredder that the turtles still live. Shredder summons all of the robots to that area. The tapes that Donatello had to use cause REX-1 to glitch up and act like whatever was originally on the tape. First like an old westerner, then like Dorothy from The Wizard of OZ, then like Curly from The Three Stooges. Finally Donatello's aerobic workout tape pops up and the Robots go into overwork mode, causing them to explode and foiling yet another of Shredder's plans.

Back at April's apartment, it is revealed that Irma is going on a date with REX-1.

Character voices

 * Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
 * Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
 * Michaelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
 * Donatello (Barry Gordon)
 * Splinter (Peter Renaday)
 * April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs)
 * Vernon Fenwick (Peter Renaday)
 * Irma (Jennifer Darling)
 * Shredder (James Avery)
 * Rocksteady (Cam Clarke)
 * Bebop (Barry Gordon)
 * Krang (Pat Fraley)
 * First Thug (Pat Fraley)
 * Second Thug (James Avery)
 * Third Thug (Pat Fraley)
 * First Policeman (Peter Renaday)
 * Second Policeman (???)