Return to New York (2012 TV series episode)

For other stories titled "Return to New York", see here.

"Return to New York" is the 61st episode of the 2012 Series.

Synopsis
The Turtles return to the city to search for Splinter, only to find that the city is overrun with Kraang.

Major Characters

 * (Mae Whitman)
 * (Phil LaMarr)
 * (Josh Peck)
 * (Rob Paulsen)
 * (Seth Green)
 * (Greg Cipes)
 * (Sean Astin)
 * (Kevin Michael Richardson)
 * Shredder Mutants
 * (Kevin Michael Richardson)
 * (Kevin Michael Richardson)
 * (Kevin Michael Richardson)
 * (Hoon Lee)
 * Tiger Claw (Eric Bauza)

Minor Characters

 * Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe (Jim Meskimen)
 * Crognard The Barbarian
 * Crognard
 * Graah
 * Megalord Zarrik
 * Spooch
 * Wizardess
 * Dr. Cluckingsworth
 * Earth Protection Force
 * Foot-Bots
 * Ice Cream Kitty (Kevin Eastman)
 * Kirby O'Neil (cameo)
 * Kraang (Nolan North)
 * M.O.U.S.E.R.S.

Plot
The episode opens with an episode of Crognard the Barbarian, but it is interrupted due to the Channel 6 Breaking news. The anchorman says that New York City is off limits under military order. The Turtles suspected of this while watching TV. They decided to break through the New York City barriers using Donnie's plan for a new vehicle. They converted the old van with new gear, weapons, and a new paint job, turning it into the Party Wagon. With the vehicle all set up, they ready to go to New York City.

As the gang prepare to leave the farm, they hook up the Turtle Racer to the van. Donnie bids farewell to Dr. Cluckingsworth while April says goodbye to the farmhouse. They soon drove off and headed back to New York City. Upon arriving New York, Leo says that the first that they must find Splinter, then Karai, an then take back the city. Their plan was to park outside the gate and sneak in, but that proves impossible when soldiers have every entrance into NYC quarantined. April then notices that the troops have Kraang mind control devices on their necks, so Casey simply floors it and the Party Wagon is able to smash through the gates and into the city.

Inside the city, everyone was gone. Mikey wonders if the Kraang mutated the entire population. April says she is picking up thoughts from only a few hundred people, meaning there are millions missing. They soon run into Kraang soldiers, so the Turtles get to test out the Party Wagon’s soda cannons and stink bombs, both of which prove effective as they make their escape.

Using the Shellraiser's old subway access hatch, they enter the subway, The group does some effective ninja-ing, evading Kraang robots. Donnie ask April if she can use her powers to find Splinter. But April said that since Splinter's spirit has detached from his body, she’s not sure what has happen to him. Mikey decides to start searching for him at the lair.

At the lair, the turtles search for Splinter, but there is no sign of him, but the Kraang does have a robot security system that ends up using lasers to exterminate a ordinary rat. Mikey freaks out and wants to move back in, but the others thinks that’s not an option. Suddenly, April gets a faint read on Splinter, who seems to nearby, but he’s different somehow.

After the gang follow April, they find Splinter, only to discover that instead of acting like an experienced ninja, he acts like a savage rat, biting and attacking anything in his path. As they try to calm Splinter down (including keeping him from chewing Casey’s face off), and talk some sense to him, a Mouser calls in for backup, and Foot soldiers appears. Despite their best efforts, Splinter gets captured by Foot soldiers and is brought to the Shredder.

At Shredder’s Lair, Tiger Claw is concerned that the Kraang desire to conquer Earth and eventually betray the Foot. Shredder is aware of the situation, and assures that soon they will eliminate the Kraang and claim control of the city. The Foot soldiers return with Splinter, which surprises both Shredder and Tiger Claw, who believed him to be dead. Seeing Splinter, who clearly lost his mind, Tiger Claw asks if he should put the rat out of his misery, but Shredder disagrees and has him taken to Baxter Stockman instead.

In his lab, Baxter was working on his own retro-mutagen when the Foot soldiers bought Splinter to him. Shredder orders Baxter to restore Hamato Yoshi’s mind, so that he’ll understand what is happening when Shredder finishes him.

The turtles find an access tunnel that leads to Stockman's lab, only to come under attack by a miniature Shredder clone. After a quick battle, the gang find Splinter, still behaving like a rat. Casey then suggests that April should try to reach Splinter's mind like she did with the Turtles in their dreams. Donnie suggest that may work. But before they could do it, Baxter spotted them and quickly unleashes all three of his Shredder mutants. As the turtles battles the mutants, Mikey accidentally sets off an alarm, alerting both Shredder and Tiger Claw.

While the turtles fight, April tries reaching out to Splinter with her telepathy. He begins to get flashes of his memories back, but he mistakes Casey for Shredder and attacks him. Splinter then ends up charging at and cornering April, but from that range, her powers work even more effectively, and soon Splinter is once again himself. He quickly recuses the turtles and manages to defeat the Shredder mutants. The turtles rejoice that Splinter is back, but their reunion is interrupted when Shredder and Tiger Claw arrive. Realizing that now this isn’t the time for a fight, Mikey uses a ninja smoke bomb to covered their escape.

As they escape with the Party Wagon, Tiger Claw appears, holding onto the roof. With the use of Sir Siz-L-Lot, a flamethrower concealed inside a deer head that used to hang on the farmhouse wall, Tiger Claw is knocked lose as they drive out of the subway and into the city.

As they drove, Mikey wonders where they will live. Splinter says homes are transitory, but Leo points out they still need a place to hang their masks. Mikey then has an idea. They decide to use Antonio’s Pizza-Rama as their hideout for the time being. But April is still worried about her dad, and her power are giving her a weird reading on him and the missing people. It’s like they are right around them. We soon briefly see what April sees: a bunch of people mind-controlled by the Kraang.

Quotes
"Wizardess: Crognard, megalord zarrik's soldiers guard the entrance to the fortress of the ragnaroid.

Megalord sarrik's: You will never get through the gates of eternal stagnation, Crognard. Hahahaha...

Spooch: Eh, spooch spooch! It's impossible, Crognard! What are we going to Spooch?

Crognard: Crognard must think. Spooch will storm the walls and distract the zarrik army

Spooch: Spooch!...."

"Carlos Chang: Ever since the invasion that is known as the invasion of new york, humans want to know what is going on. Everything is...Fine. No human is allowed in or out of the city until kraan--uh, the military allows it. This is carlos kraang o'briengambe.

Mikey: Hmm, did the news guy seem a little kraang-y to you?

Raph: A little? What, are you on the pepperoni?

April: The kraang may have the rest of the world fooled, but not us. What's the plan, leo?

Leo: Step one is, storm the castle walls. Donnie?

Donnie: It's not as heavily armored as the shellraiser, but it's more maneuverable, has more weapons, and gets better gas mileage.

Casey: Then let's stop jabbering and build this sucka!."

"Donnie: Ehem. The new and improved... Party wagon!

Raph: It's so awesome!

Leo: All right, team. Let's do this!"

"Kitty: Meow

Mikey: Come on, ice cream kitty. We're going home.

Kitty: Meow

Donnie: Dr. Cluckingsworth.

Dr. Cluckingsworth: Hmmm??

Donnie: Mmmm.

Raph: You both sicken me.

April: Good-bye, old farmhouse.

Mikey: Hello, new york city!"

"Leo: All right, team. First, we track down master splinter. Then we hunt for Karai and free the city.

Raph: So what's the plan, fearless leader? Ninja-y or all-out attack?

Leo: Ninja-y. We park at the gate and sneak in. Then we split up and search for master Splinter.

April: And my father.

Donnie: Okay... Not good.

Mikey: Oh, man! They got us, dudes! The jig is up, homeslice!

Earth Protection Force Soldier: Citizen! This is epf quarantine sector 7-b. Roll down your window. Authorized personnel only. No one goes in or out of new york city.

Casey: Whatever you say, army dude.

April: You see that? It's a kraang mind control device. I bet they all have them.

Mikey: They're all controlled? Like.. Invasion of the brain suckers?

Leo, Donnie, Raph, Mikey: Whoa!

April: Aaaa!!! What are you doing, Casey?

Earth Protection Force Soldier: Stop!"

"Raph: What were you thinking, man? You got any brains behind that hockey mask?

Casey: I had no choice, raph. They were powering up their blasters.

Donnie: Um, guys? Where are all the people?

Mikey: You--you think the kraang mutated everyone?

Leo: No way, not possible.

April: It's completely possible. I only sense a few hundred people left in the entire city. They're...Gone. Millions of people just...Gone!

Mikey: One good thing: We haven't run into any kraa....

Kraang: (See April And Casey Jones)

Mikey: Oh, no! Why did I have to open my big mouth?

Kraang: It is the humans known as casey jones and april o'neil. Kraang! Eliminate for kraang!

Leo: Man the defenses.

Mikey: Readying soda cannons.

Donnie: Loading breath mints.

Mikey: Fire!

Kraang: Aah!! It stings! It stings!

Raph: Bomb-a-pult locked and loaded. Launch!

Kraang: Uh-oh. Argh.... You can smell it. That which is known as stinks. Pee-yew!

Casey: Time to go.

Donnie: Take a left. There's a secret entrance to the subway right here."

"Mikey: You think we'll be safe down here, dudes?

Leo: Shh, full ninja mode.

Raph: You hear that?

Leo: Phew, that was close.

Donnie: April, you think you can use your powers to track splinter? You did it before.

April: I can try, but... You said his mind is no longer one with his body, right? Which means he could be crazy.. Or unconscious.., or. Or who knows what?

Donnie: Yeah. We still need to find him.

Mikey: Ooh, what about the lair?"

Trivia

 * Much like other episodes, the events in the cartoon the turtles were watching, in this case Crognard The Barbarian, foreshadow the events of the actual episode.
 * The villain that appears in the Crognard cartoon is based on Man-E-Faces, one of the many characters from The He-man series.
 * The synthesizer-laden soundtrack of the episode, especially when the turtles were approaching the city, was a reference to the 1980s cult classic Escape From New York. 
 * Incidentally that movie starred Kurt Russell, whose portrayal of Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China was the inspiration for Casey Jones. 
 * The episode is the debut of the Party Wagon, a familiar vehicle that appeared throughout the franchise
 * The bomb the turtles thrown from the Party Wagon is reminiscent from the original Turtle Party Wagon Toy.
 * On the stink bomb it's read "foot stinks", the same words on the 1980's party wagon.
 * Raphael painted a green woman with a red mask with the name "Venus" next to her on the left side of the Party Wagon, a reference to Venus De'Milo from live action The Next Mutation series by Saban.
 * This art was first seen in the Battle Tank Feature Tent, released in 2012.
 * Painting a pin-up style figure on the side of a vehicle was common on WWII aircraft.
 * The turtles paint a big number 2 on the top of the Party Wagon, not only because it's there second "van" in the series, but also because it's the second incarnation of the Party Wagon in the cartoons.
 * The brand of breath mints Donnie puts in the soda cannons are "Chillos" a parody of the real life brand Mentos.
 * Although the original Shredder Elite from the Mirage comics were just mutant clones of Shredder, each of these new Shredder Elite members were created from a different crustacean.
 * Mini Shredder is a shrimp, Claw Shredder a lobster and Shiva Shredder a crab.
 * There were crabs on Stockman's desk, indicating the Shredder Mutants were recent experiments.
 * When the turtles explain they need a new hide out, one of Donnie's ideas was an old subway station. This is a reference to the 1991 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret Of The Ooze.
 * In Baxter Stockman's new lab it's seen a Super Choco bar vending machine.

Errors

 * Leo lost both of his katanas in the fight against the Shredder Mutants, but had both of them again at the end

Gallery
Return to New York (2012 TV series episode)/Gallery