Bad Day

"Bad Day" is the eighty-sixth episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), which originally aired on November 5, 2005.

Major Characters

 * Donatello (Sam Regal)
 * Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas)
 * Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson)
 * Raphael (John Campbell)
 * Splinter (Darren Dunstan)

Secondary Characters

 * April O'Neil (Veronica Taylor)
 * Casey Jones (Marc Thompson)
 * The Shredder (Scottie Ray)
 * Karai
 * Purple Dragons
 * Foot Mech
 * Foot Elite
 * Baxter Stockman (Scott Williams)
 * Hun (Greg Carey)
 * Agent Bishop (David Zen Mansley)
 * Foot Mystics
 * Water Mystic
 * Wind Mystic
 * Fire Mystic
 * Earth Mystic
 * Metal Mystic
 * Dragon Face

Main Locations

 * Turtles' lair
 * Sewers
 * Streets of New York City
 * Astral realm
 * Foot Mystic's Chamber inside Foot Headquarters

Main Vehicles

 * April's van

Voice-over introduction
 Donatello : "OK, pop quiz: If a dozen of Agent Bishop's deadly commandos are chasing you at ninety miles an hour from points A, B, and C, what are the odds you're gonna survive the next five minutes?"

Plot Synopsis
Open inside the Turtles' lair where the TMNT and Splinter are working on their meditation practices by a circular pool. The Sensei is unhappy with his students' lack of focus of late and he is particularly disturbed by Leonardo's petulant behavior. Suddenly Splinter collapses in pain as the pool begins to erupt like a geyser. Raph and Leo grab Splinter and escape the flooding lair by diving into the water and making a break for it by swimming. Klunk is drowning and Mike jumps in to save him, only to be struck by a television set and knocked unconscious. Donatello dives in and pulls Mikey to the surface before attempting to swim out. Don dives with Mike in his arms, but he blacks out before he makes it to the exit.

Fortunately, Leo and Raph were able to save Mike and Don. The guys climb out of the sewers to seek medical help for their Master, but as they emerge to the surface they're met with a horrible surprise. Bright lights and TV cameras focus on our heroes and reveal them to an astonished audience of people. The cameras broadcast the images of the Turtles on every TV channel for all the city to see. As the TMNT look around in panic, one figure emerges from the darkness, Agent Bishop!

Luckily, April and Casey are in a nearby alley with April’s van. The Turtles and Splinter battle Bishop's guards and escape to the vehicle and the group takes off. Bishop sends an assortment of military trucks and black choppers to chase the Green Team. As April is gunning around corners and dodging missile attacks, Leo jumps out of the van onto the hood of one of Bishop’s trucks. The ninja shatters the windshield, tosses the commando out and then takes the wheel and peels off, buying the van some time to escape.

As April turns down an alley, a helicopter fires hooked cables into its roof. The chopper begins to lift the van off the street. Leo catapults his truck off of a parked car directly into the path of the whirlybird - just before the two vehicles collide and explode, Leo jumps to safety and quickly reenters the van.

The explosion provides a distraction and our heroes escape their pursuers. Don attempts to make a call on his Shell Cell, but the copters circling the city are waiting for the signal to lock in on. Suddenly our heroes are being chased by even more choppers and April guns the van down the street.

Leo directs April to park in a tunnel and allow the Turtles to get out of the vehicle. Casey and April protest, but the Turtles convince them it's the only way they have hope that someone will escape (and be able to save those that are captured, if that happens). After the Turtles and Splinter get out, April takes off in the other direction, but as soon as the van hits the street, it's destroyed by missile fire!

The Turtles can't believe their eyes - Master Splinter motivates them to escape through an air duct in the tunnel. The TMNT and their Sensei make their way through the maintenance tunnel still in shock over recent events. As they emerge on another street, Donatello blames himself for allowing Bishop to track them. Splinter senses that it’s not the Shell Cel that lead Bishop to the lair. As they ponder who could be in an alliance with Bishop, their answer appears right before them, Shredder! The four turtles attack Shredder, but it quickly appears that he's too powerful for them. Defeating all four with ease, Shredder then unveils the evil alliance he has assembled. With that, Bishops appears with his men, as does Hun, Karai, Stockman, various Foot ninjas and the Purple Dragons!

As the Turtles lay wounded on the ground, Splinter finally realizes what is actually going on. With Shredder and his evil alliance approaching, Splinter sits down and closes his eyes. He has realized that the enemies standing before him aren’t real. The entire situation has simply been a mind game. The Foot Mystics have fabricated the entire flood, chase, and face off! The Turtles and Splinter are actually still sitting in the lair meditating!

As Splinter closes his eyes he enters a gray, cloudy realm where he sits in a circle with the Turtles in meditation. Above them float the Foot Mystics. As the villains try to overpower our heroes with evil Chi, the Turtles prepare to meet the attack - but the Sensei orders them to remain seated and go back into meditation. The TMNT reluctantly do as they're told and join Splinter in the mental battle of wills. As the Turtles focus their energy, they overpower the Mystic Ninjas and defeat them at their own game.

The astral realm of meditation dissolves and we once again find Splinter and the Turtles sitting in the lair just as they had been. Klunk arrives much to Mikey's delight and Donatello calls April and is delighted to discover that both she and Casey are fine.

Cut to the Mystic Ninja Chamber inside Karai's Foot headquarters. The five Foot Mystics stand, observing the Turtles in the lair via a magic portal. Karai enters the chamber and the Mystics inform her of their failure. It seems all is not lost though, as they have obtained valuable information for their next strike. Karai is angry and ill tempered regarding the failure. We discover that whoever wields the Heart of Tengu controls the Foot Mystics. The Mystics observe that the Shredder respected their powers, but Karai sneers that she does not respect them, and as long as she holds the Heart, they will do as she bids. The Mystics bow in reverence of the Heart's power as Karai vows vengeance against the Turtles.

Trivia

 * Final appearance of the original Foot Elite design, starting with Scion of the Shredder they would get a new design.
 * Final appearance of the Foot Mechs introduced in Rogue in the House, Part 1.
 * The Foot Mystics reappear after being destroyed by Master Splinter in Return to New York, Part 2 without explaining how they've returned.