Follow The Leader

Follow the Leader is the third episode of the second season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series), and is the 29th episode overall. It aired on November 2, 2013.

Synopsis
Shredder heads to Japan to take care of an urgent matter, leaving Karai in charge of the Foot. She then captures Leonardo and forces him to do battle with the Foot Bots, robotic versions of the Foot Ninjas, as a way to lure Splinter to her.

Major Characters

 * Karai
 * Foot-bots
 * Leonardo
 * Donatello
 * Raphael
 * Michelangelo

Minor Characters

 * Splinter

Cast

 * Sean Astin as Raphael
 * Jason Biggs as Leonardo
 * Greg Cipes as Michelangelo
 * Rob Paulsen as Donatello
 * Hoon Lee as Splinter
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Shredder
 * Kelly Hu as Karai

Plot
This episode begins with the Turtles continuing in their search for more Mutagen canisters in one out of thousands of alley ways. Raphael tells Donatello to relax (indicating that Donnie is still quite upset), and that April will come back to them eventually....Donnie agrees and keeps searching. While Mikey finds a toy, plush iguana in the trash, Donnie soon gets a reading from his gadget that a Mutagen canister is located up on a tall roof. Raph says that Donnie's creation is just about as useless as a trenchcoat on a turtle, but Leo tells Raph to just give him a chance, as they must follow every single lead to a Mutagen canister in order to prevent any one else from getting affected by it. They then climb the building and eventually find it. Donnie says that they only have sixty-three more containers left....Without the Turtles noticing, Karai is on another rooftop, spying on them with some binoculars. She begins to think about just how fun it would be to try and defeat the four all over again.

While continuing to search for more canisters with no truly pleasing results, Michelangelo yawns in boredom, stating that the search is now getting excessively boring, and he then screams very loudly, which causes Leonardo to tell him to stop and that they will do something that is at least kind of fun: training. He then motions to a Japanese-styled building, saying that the game is going to be somewhat like King-Of-The-Mountain. Leo then goes across the wires to defend his own "territory" and without him knowing, Raphael has devised a questionable plan. Leo steps onto the wires, preparing to fight with his equally prepared brothers. Mikey then jokingly puts on some earbuds that he happened to have, and starts to dance (while balancing himself) on the wires. Leo says that it's not fighting, but Mikey ignores this and then begins to make Leo tilt just a little, and Mikey uses this time to his advantage and jumps upward and does a backflip to get just enough leverage for him to reach the other side.

Leo says that it was not fair at all, but then Donnie quickly steps ahead. Donnie then uses his mathematical calculations to determine the exact spots where he should strike his brother with some of his  shuriken. After blocking one after the next with his sword, Leo quickly resorts to respiration and this distracts him so that Donnie can also make it to the other side with Mikey, which Leo realizes. Leo is then prompted to ask Raph what trick he'll get from him. Raph sarcastically asks, "What are you talking about??", and he then throws his twin weapons at Leo and subsequently kicks him off of the wires, causing Leo to fall to the ground, along with his two twin blades, one of them reading, "Lame-O-nardo". Leo begins to get angry, and objects that they are always not taking any of his training lectures seriously enough....Raph argues that they should train in their own manner, and that Leo should train in his very own manner. They then walk away from him, which leaves Leo looking quite upset at his sword. In the lair,  Leo talks to Master Splinter about how his brothers treated him very disrespectfully - and he wonders if he truly has the facets to be the leader. Splinter asks how his brothers can really appreciate both him and his role if he has a lack of self-confidence.

The scene then abruptly switches to Karai in one of Bradford's formerly-owned Dojos, who is looking at a dilapidated picture of her now deceased mother with a sad expression on her face. Then, a squad of Foot Ninjas appear out of the blue, approaching her from behind with their weapons raised, which obviously indicates an impending challenge....She is able to hold her ground for a while, but, one of them manages to avoid several of her well-placed attacks and it then grabs her by the wrist and ultimately pins her to the ground. The Shredder  then interferes and orders the several ninjas to stop fighting with her. It is then revealed by The Shredder that the ninjas that she just faced were in fact robots --- when Saki mentions that the Kraang swore that the warriors would be quite deadly, nimble and peerless, implying that the aliens were able to settle on creating them (and that Shredder and the Kraang's little alliance was indeed kept even after the two's disagreement due to a small predicament that had occured).....He then tells Karai that he is going away to Japan right now to attend to a very 'urgent matter', and that, should his adoptive daughter try to make any sudden, unwarranted moves on the Turtles while he is gone, the consequences might indeed be fierce.

Meanwhile, i n the Shellraiser, Raph is the one driving, whilst Mikey is reading one of his own classic comic books. Mikey then asks Leo if he is angry with them at all. He then offers that he will give his comic book to Leo if the latter is not mad whatsoever, but Leo says that he does not want it. He just thinks that the others have to start getting better at following his orders. Raph then sarcastically says that it's to bad that he can't play his violin while driving. Leo is just about to quarrel with Raph, but Donnie then tells Raph to stop the Shellraiser because there is apparently another Mutagen canister in the area. When they are soon out of the Shellraiser, Donnie says that the canister is located in a nearby basement. Leo then tells them to not make a single sound or move, but the others have already made their way deep down inside...Donnie, Raph, and Leo then search for the canister, with no luck. Mikey, however, manges to find it. He begins to chant with joy while running to it...Leo then tries to stop him, but it is too late. Mikey picks up the canister, which has a string attached to it (which he seemingly neglects to see), quickly causing all of the doors to spring shut, trapping the Turtles inside.

This in itself provokes Leo to get angry at Mikey for not carefully following his orders yet again. Karai then suddenly interrupts his sentence, and surrounds them with a big squad of Robotic Foot Soldiers (unbeknownst to our heroes). Donnie then says that Karai is getting increasingly better at setting ambushes, but Raph thinks that, with them fighting the Foot, they won't even break a sweat. They then begin fighting. Raph manages to hold his ground for a few seconds, but one of the ninjas then kicks him hard in the gut, knocking him into Donnie, and then, the Turtles begin to loose miserably. Leo then tells them to flee (along with himself), but Raph disagrees and briefly starts to fight again, but is punched numerous times and utterly defeated - and they are all forced to leave with Leo....They then climb some nearby elevator ropes; One of the robots catches up and grabs onto Mikey's foot, but he manges to kick it off. Donnie then makes the discovery that the ninjas are robots when one of them falls to it's demise. They then reach a floor and Raph gets there first, pulling Mikey and Donnie up with him. However, one of the robots then catches Leo's foot, but then, even more come up and engulf him, ultimately causing all of the wires connecting to the elevator to snap completely in half. Leo then falls down with the robots, and seemingly gets captured.

Back in the lair, the other 3 have alot of trouble knowing what to do next. Mikey then wonders how they're going to explain what happened to Master Splinter. Splinter overhears this, however - and his sons then inform him that Leo was captured by Karai. Splinter explains to the Turtles that Karai falsely believes that he killed someone beloved to her, but it is very much the opposite of what she thinks. After his little speech, he then tells them to go and rescue their brother, for that is what is very important in the present. After Donnie manages to hack into some security wiring and find some footage, they spot what appears to be Karai's van heading into the Bradford Dojo, which Mikey instantly recognizes. Raph then tells the others to be more like Leo and actually try to use his type of moves when they rescue him. Meanwhile, at that very Dojo, Leonardo is currently being held in a small cage hung from a support pillar near the cieling, as Karai talks to him about if she would make a small fortune or not if she sold Leo to a laboratory in the city - and that the entire town would be going nuts once they knew that talking reptiles existed and thrived down in the sewers....She then goes on to tell him that he deserves everything that he's getting -- and that her brand new robots both abide by her every command and know every single traditional move after it has been used only once or twice - and she then lets Leo out of the cage by throwing a Tanto at the rope holding it up. She is actually merciful enough to toss Leonardo's katanas to his side, although he is then forced to fight off over a couple dozen of the robotic ninjas. During the fight, Karai mentions that she never got to know her mother because Splinter took her away from her, which Leo disagrees. He is then slowly, yet easily outmatched and restrained once again, as mere bait for his brothers.

The others soon arrive at the location and Raph, using his brand new bond with pigeons (and teaching them a certain routine, apparently) somehow forces an individual pigeon to attract several more and they all end up flying right in front of the multiple security cameras, which ultimately allows the Turtles to gain entrance with relative ease. They then peer in through a window up above, only to find Leo tied up and gagged, looking upwards....mumbling. The Turtles are able to get inside and they defeat all of the remaining robots that are surrounding him, and they then remove his gag. At the very last, possible second, Leo then tells the others that it's a trap, but it is too late, as even more robots arrive....Karai then states that Splinter will eventually track the Turtles there, and that he will know what the 'true' meaning of pain and sorrow is when he arrives. The robots then begin taking on all four Turtles at once, and, in spite of our heroes' brave and combined efforts, the robots soon end up getting the better of them...

While the fight rapidly unfolds, Karai sits back in a chair and observes, reiterating that the ninjas have the capacity of learning from their foes' every single move. The fight is then quick to head outside, where Leonardo (whilst running away) once again laments that the robots can indeed memorize every one of their moves and use those very moves against them right afterwards....Thus, Leo's brothers come up with an idea and decide to fight the wayward robots using their own, distinct form of sheer unpredictability; while Karai then appears and starts attacking Leo with utter hostility and ferocity...Both cannot seem to gain the upper hand on one another, until Karai manages to knock the two swords out of Leonardo's hands with a flip-kick. Leo then rapidly slips and is just about to fall off of the building to his demise. Karai then throws a few ninja stars right near his two hands, but Leo is actually able to stick his two katanas into the underside of the roof of the building -- and, while using the element of suprise, he executes a pretty intricate/professional move; First, he grasps his two swords, flips backwards with them, and he then jumps up from a totally different direction and catches Karai completely off-gaurd. After Leonardo successes in his respective battle, he holds one of his katanas to her head and explains to Karai that Splinter would never, ever try to harm her mother, and that her grudge lies only with Leo - not his family. Karai does not nod, however. She just stares at him blankly, most likely suggesting that she will still persist in hunting them. He and his brothers then flee and vanish by using one of their smoke bombs, as the robots have already figured out all of their seemingly "unpredictable" moves....

Later, back in the lair, Leo speaks with Splinter in complete privacy (in the Dojo that is there). He asks Splinter if he actually would and did harm Karai's mother in any way. At first, Splinter is reluctant to answer any of Leo's pressing questions, but he then comes clean and Splinter then answers with a "No", saying that not only is that rumor a lie, but also that Karai is not Shredder's daughter; but Splinter's. This episode concludes with Splinter telling Leonardo four words that may potentially change everything ("Karai is my daughter")....

Gallery
Follow The Leader/Gallery

Quotes
Michelangelo: No sign of any mutagen, but you're not gonna believe what I found! An iguana wearing a top hat! Isn't it cool? I mean, why would you throw this out? -horrible British accent- Hello governor. How do you like my mon-ockle?

Donatello: Monocle.

Michelangelo: -real voice- Whatever.

Raphael: You DO realize that could be a distant cousin. And it's stuffed with sawdust.

Michelangelo: EW, SICK! *tosses it aside*

Michelangelo: We've been looking for mutagen for days now, dudes, it's so boring I'm gonna scream! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…!

Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael: MIKEY!

Leonardo: Ok, ok! We get it! We'll take a break and do something fun, cool?

-Donnie, Rap and Mikey give enthusiastic assent-

Leonardo: Training session! Yes!

Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo: *all groan*

–In which Leo needs to work on his concept of fun

Michelangelo: You're not mad at us, are you Leo? I'll give you Mutant Plus Monsters #23 if you're not mad.

Leonardo: I'm not MAD. I just wish you guys did a little better at following my orders.

Raphael: Aw, it's too bad I can't play my violin while I drive.

Raphael: Hurry, Leo! LEO!!! *watches in horror as Leo falls with the Foot Bots*

Raphael: *to Donnie and Mikey as he hangs his head* He's gone...and it's all my fault!

Karai: You know, I bet I could make a small fortune if I sold you to a science lab. Could you imagine the press? 'Talking ninja turtle, Found in Sewer.'

Leonardo: Sweet. Captured, and now totally humiliated. Awesome day, Leo. Awesome day.

Karai: You deserve everything you're getting, Leo, after you betrayed me last time. -snaps fingers-

-Foot bots move forward, and kneel-

Karai: Don't you love it? My new robotic Foot bots follow my orders to a T. No arguing, no prodding. They do whatever I want. Cool, right?

Leonardo: Yeah. Convenient. Nice.

Karai: I've been teaching the Foot bots new skills. But now I'm turning the training over to someone new -throws knife-

-Leo falls from the cage-

Karai: Foot bots! -tosses Leo his katanas- Deshell him!

You spent years learning a fighting style, and my robots learn it in seconds. From you! Fighting just improves their skills!

–Karai

Karai: I never got to know my mother, because your rodent master took her away from me!

Leonardo: Splinter? That's a lie!

Karai: Get him out of my sight!

Leonardo: Karai, listen to me! Splinter would never hurt your mother!

Raphael: You got two choices, sweetheart. Let us go, or walk away from this inside a sandwich bag!

Karai: Sorry, Raphael. Can't let you go. It's not really that personal with the rest of you turtles. I just need you for bait.

Leonardo: She wants Splinter.

Karai: Your Sensei will eventually track you here. And when he shows up, Splinter will then know what it's like to TRULY suffer.

Raphael: Let's smash some robots!

Donatello: They're only a thousand times better at fighting than regular Foot!

Karai: My Foot bots know every move… every skill… every attack.

Donatello: We're out of real estate!

Leonardo: If I order you to run away, will you guys listen this time?

Michelangelo: Heck, yeah! And we could still call it a tactical retreat if you want!

Raphael: I've never had so much fun following your orders!

Leonardo: We're even. I've never had so much fun giving them!

Shredder is LYING to you. Splinter would NEVER hurt an innocent. Your grudge is with me. Keep away from my brothers, and my Sensei. Understood? Believe me, Karai.

–Leonardo

Donatello: Um… Leo! The robots have learned our moves!

Michelangelo: Our crazy has become normal! I hate that…

Karai... is my daughter.

–Splinter

Trivia

 * Donnie says that there are 65 canisters (1 1/2 are already found) of Kraang mutagen remaining in the city.


 * The Shredder goes off to Japan early in the episode. At San Diego Comic Con 2013, it was confirmed that Shredder would head to Japan in this season to recruit Tiger Claw.


 * Michelangelo chants out the hook of Vanilla Ice 's Ninja Rap ("Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go!") when he finds the ooze that Karai left as bait.


 * At the end of the episode, when Leo and Karai are fighting, behind them is billboard that says "Stockman Industries" with a picture of a Mouser.
 * The name of this episode is also based on a childhood game, "Follow The Leader".