Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1255374-20150613052057/@comment-24058209-20150809211636

Gilgameshkun wrote: You know, I think I was actually kinda looking forward to Mikey and Renet developing a subtle spark and low-key chemistry that could potentially be revisited later, while giving Renet room for individual character development. And Mikey could have used some introspection, and could have continued to develop with both Renet and Leatherhead until he eventually made some kind of decision. He's not very bright, but he's long been established as wise and earthy in the ways of the heart, and I hoped for more out of him.

You're right, Shell Brain, that this series seems to be only for kids now. All the subtlety is gone. Remember when the show used to have scenes like these?

I no longer trust that we'll see much of any stuff like this anymore. Even worse&mdash;if it does try this again, it will be harder to believe, because the show has already been burning bridges in favor of low-hanging fruit, and the few relatively serious moments they've done since have much less impact in context. It's as if a show like The Legend of Korra had been retooled to become a show like SpongeBob Squarepants. Multi-dimensional becomes one-dimensional. It's very saddening, like watching a loved one gradually slip into dementia&mdash;by then, you can't tell if their serious-sounding moments are genuine or just more dementia. You said it so well and poetically... I want desperately for this show to return to the way it felt in seasons 1 and 2 - there was so much potential, so much feeling and subtlety in it all. The pacing was great, the stories were intense and felt like they were for audiences young and old... Even when the show gave us a B-plot episode, it still felt like it was connected to the overall arc but since season 3 we've been treated to monster of the week and what felt like contrived and forced storylines to market more toys? Which is my fear for the continuous progression of season 3 -- its all about marketing toys and delivering a mindless kids cartoon that has been softened from what it used to be, an edgey and deep show.

That being said, this latest episode, Tales of the Yokai, felt like it carried that beloved intensity from the first season, I was watching it and thinking, THIS is the caliber of writing I fell in love with when I first watched that episode 1 back in 2012... So more episodes like these please, these are the episodes I have been desperately waiting for in season 3. Not to say all of season 3 has been bad, there have been a FEW great episodes, specifically the arc where the turtles were back in New York to rescue Splinter and a couple that followed. Most of this season saddly, though, is B-plot or lackluster.