Shredder & Splintered


 * This article was transwikied from Wikipedia.

Shredder & Splintered is episode number 5 of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. It is the fifth episode of season 1 in (1987). This episode of the show is part of the Heroes in a Half Shell arc. It was written by David Wise and Patti Howeth, and directed by Yoshikatsu Kasai. It originally aired on December 18, 1987, in syndication. It is available on DVD on the box set released on April 20, 2004.

Previous video releases of this episode gave it the name The Shredder Is Splintered, and the DVD release lists it as Shredded and Splintered.

Plot Summary
The people of New York City have reported sightings of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and April O'Neil is not happy about it, because it is not her story. The Turtles reassure her that she will get the full story and agree with Splinter that it is time to put The Shredder away.

Shredder contacts the Turtles at their sewer lair via their TV to show off his Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator, a device that reverses mutations. He claims it can transform Splinter back into Hamato Yoshi and invites them to "come and get it". Splinter says that he must go alone, because Shredder can use the device to transform the Turtles back into ordinary turtles.

The Turtles try to use the star mobile left by the Neutrinos to transport Splinter to the Technodrome, but it runs out of fuel. Donatello goes to Baxter Stockman's workshop to build something else.

In the Technodrome, Shredder shows Krang his new "body"—a robot which Krang can pilot from inside. Krang's new body is equipped with a Molecular Amplification Unit microchip, which can enlarge both Krang and the robot. Shredder pulls the switch, and as electricity crackles, Shredder yells, "It's alive, it's alive!"

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Splinter try to break into the Technodrome, easily fending off Bebop and Rocksteady. The intruder alarm sounds, and Shredder—saying it is too soon and Krang "hasn't come to its senses" yet—sends the Foot robots to destroy the Turtles. While the Turtles fight the Foot robots, Splinter slips inside the Technodrome in search of the Retro Mutagen Ray Generator. The Turtles defeat the Foot robots by hacking open a raw sewage line, which causes the outcoming water to flush the robots away.

April, who had returned to the Channel 6 News Building with the Turtle Van and a Turtle Communicator, is about to get fired by her boss Burne Thompson for being in cahoots with the Turtles. April O'Neil threatens him with the turtle communicator, pretending it is a "Hyper-Sonic Turtle Death Ray," until he sign a voucher authorizing her a film crew.

Within the Technodrome, Splinter has discovered what he thinks is the Retro Mutagen Ray Generator, but is just a hologram. Then Shredder arrives, accompanied by many holograms of himself, and engages Splinter in a martial arts combat.

The Turtles, watching from a remote control camera, see Krang heading for the Transdimensional Portal, where he contacts General Trag, leader of the Stone Warriors from Dimension X. General Trag tells Krang that the troops are ready and waiting. Leonardo, Michaelangelo, and Raphael arrive to stop Krang from opening the Transdimensional Portal, but Krang uses the Molecular Amplification Device to expand to twenty times his size and chases them out of the Technodrome. He smashes a hole through the street and climbs out, pursued by the Turtles.

Donatello arrives aboard his new creation: the Turtle Blimp, created from the Neutrino's star mobile and Baxter Stockman's spare parts. He is closely followed by April, Vernon Fenwick, and their film crew.

April videotapes Donatello and Leonardo as they glide inside Krang's robot to destroy his Molecular Amplification Unit. Leonardo can't cut out the growth mechanism with his katana, so Donatello smashes it with his bo staff. As Krang begins to shrink, Donatello and Leonardo rush out before they are crushed. Krang, at normal size, contacts Shredder for help, but Shredder is still fighting Splinter in the Technodrome. Shredder uses a device to imprison Splinter inside an electric cage and disappears to help Krang.

Splinter, fearing Shredder will use the Retro Mutagen Ray Generator on the Turtles, pries up a metal screw in the floor with his fingernails and hurls it through the bars of his cage at the generator, which shuts of the power.

Shredder is aiming the Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator towards the Turtles when Splinter arrives and throws his staff at the generator, destroying it. The Turtles thank Splinter and sadly acknowledge that the Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator was probably his only chance to become human again, but Splinter said he had to do it to save the Turtles from becoming ordinary turtles agin. Shredder and Krang escape back to the Technodrome followed by the Turtles and Splinter.

When they arrive, Krang's Stone Warriors are marching from the Transdimensional Portal... until Donatello reverses the flow of the portal, causing the Technodrome to pull itself into Dimension X. The Turtles and Splinter run out and turn around to see the Technodrome and everyone inside disappear.

Krang and Shredder discover that they are in Dimension X, as billions of rock soldiers wave to the Technodrome as it appears. Krang says he is absolute ruler of Dimension X and Shredder will do his bidding from now on. Shredder rips off his mask, saying "The Shredder takes orders from no one!" He grumbles, "I don't want to conquer this dimension; I want to conquer Earth!"

Back on Earth, April reports her story about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but the people of New York City are split in their opinion about them.

At the end of the episode, Splinter warns the Turtles that he fears that they have not seen the last of Shredder or Krang, foreshadowing the next season.