Of Rats and Men

Of Rats and Men is the 38th episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series). It aired March 2, 2014.

Major Characters

 * Donatello (Rob Paulsen)
 * Leonardo (Jason Biggs)
 * Michelangelo (Greg Cipes)
 * Raphael (Sean Astin)
 * Splinter (Hoon Lee)
 * The Rat King (Jeffrey Combs)

Minor Characters

 * Ice Cream Kitty (Kevin Eastman)
 * Irma (2012 TV series) (Kate Micucci)
 * Joan Grody (Kari Wahlgren)
 * Rat Man Freak (Jason Biggs)
 * Giant Rats

Plot Synopsis
The episode begins with Casey, April, and Irma walking on the streets after a tutoring session (and after getting a Pizza). A small, harmless, common rat is then seen running across the street, which, obviously, suprises Casey...Following the rat, however, a cat appears and April immediately takes a liking to it. While she quickly decides to bring the kitty home (since it doesn't even have a tag on it), something is watching Irma from behind. After both Casey and April say goodbye to Irma, the strange something then emerges from it's hiding place and it seemingly attacks Irma.

Meanwhile, in the sewers, Leonardo is just about to face off with his blindfolded sensei. Leo asks if this is even the slightest bit unfair, but Splinter makes him rest assured that it is not....Leo then rapidly lunges at his sensei, both katanas in his hands, but Splinter holds his ground and evades all of his attacks, explaining that, when your eyes are covered, you have to rely on your other keen senses to both detect and overcome your foe. After a little while longer, Splinter comes around behind Leo and defeats him with ease, causing the other brothers to snicker at him....For some wierd reason, Splinter then hits the three of them on the back of their heads. Then, he strangely collapses behind them and then stands up again, his eyes lit up with a bright red color. He then scolds the Turtles quite loudly - and then, after he is eventually able to calm himself, the apparition of an all too familiar face repeatedly flashes through his mind....

Later, Donnie is seen working on yet another Retro-Mutagen attempt, while Mikey is in his lab licking an ice cream cone, causing some trouble, and spilling it all over his brother's desk by accident. Donnie then asks him to leave the area, but then a large scoop of ice cream then falls off and lands in the jar full of the solution...However, Mikey quickly hides in front of it to prevent Donnie from becoming really enraged. Then, April and Casey enter the room. April asks the two if they can look after the stray cat that she had just found, and Mikey instantaneously grabs it, having already taken a liking to it as well...While Casey, April and Donnie are talking among themselves, Mikey allows the cat to run amuck on the table and it ends up licking the jar full of both the antidote (which contains a certain amount of Mutagen) and the ice cream. As the cat's body begins to break down, Mikey looks on in terror and greatly regrets what he has done. However, just when the cat appears to be deceased, it begins to reform, as both it's former body structure and the ice cream have somehow amalgamated!!! Mikey very quickly takes the cat out of the room, without the others being able to take any notice.

Meanwhile, Splinter is meditating in front of the picture of his family. Suddenly, the Rat King's face flashes through his mind once again. Splinter then begins to struggle, telling the Rat King that he had already defeated him....The Rat King, however, then tells him that he cannot die at all, for he only lives when Splinter is alive...Splinter then instructs him to get out of his mind, but the Rat King refuses, intent on both subjugating Splinter again and finding out how he managed to mutate (which is also addressed later on).

Splinter then comes out of the Dojo, desperately wanting something from the fridge to put on his head. However, as it turns out, Mikey had just stuffed the kitty in here as well - and Mikey ends up choosing not to allow his sensei to open it...However, Splinter becomes increasinly mad after this statement and attacks both Mikey and the other three Turtles (while under Rat King's control, of course), while Casey cowers in horror. The Turtles manage to pin him down at one point, but he then jumps free and claims that he is soon going to take over the city and then the immense world. Splinter then calms himself after this unlikely statement. He then notifies to his sons that the Rat King has made his harrowing return....

Elsewhere, on a rooftop in the city, the Rat King himself is pondering over just what he could do to the human race and the world itself with such a prodigious supply of rats...He then orders several dozen GIGANTIC rats to begin invading the city...

Down in the sewers, the Turtles, Splinter, Casey, and April are watching a current news report about the humongous rodents invading the city again, one by one, and the total chaos that is resulting. Despite Splinter's explicit warnings, they decide that they must go up to the surface and at least try to lead some of the rats away, so they head up there in the Patrol Buggy, with Mikey wearing a large piece of cheese tied to his head....This plan works for the most part - and tons of rats begin following them. Leo then arrives there in the Shellraiser, but a couple rats manage to jump onto it and end up quickly toppling it over. Meanwhile, Casey is riding on his own bicycle behind them and begins fending off the rats with some marbles (that are sprayed from the back of the bike and cause the rats to slip on the street) and some tailor-made flamethrowers...However, one manages to catch Casey off-gaurd and knocks him off of his bike, before snatching him up in it's jaws and bringing him down into the sewers...Elsewhere, the Rat King then climbs atop one of the huge rats and then commands all of them to retreat back to the hideout.

Back at the Turtles' lair, Splinter is seen yet again in deep meditation, trying to desperately clear his mind, but, again, the Rat King enters into his thoughts and tells him that he belongs to him once again....

The Turtles soon arrive hime, and Splinter explains to them that, when the Rat King peered into his mind, he somehow uncovered all of the secrets behind his mutation and is going to use this knowledge to transform all of the humans (that he was able to capture) into rats. Raph then says that they must find a way to stop him, but Splinter, fearing greatly for their safety, says that Rat King is simply too powerful for any one of them. Leo tries to reason with his sensei, but he commands him to stop. April then says that she believes in him and what he is capable of (and that Casey's life is in grave danger), hopefully granting Splinter a change of heart....

Meanwhile, in a very different part of the sewer, the Rat King has all of the humans locked up in numerous cages suspended from the ceiling there. Both Irma and Casey are in one of them...The Rat King then rises and explains to them (and reiterates to us) that he has been able to change the once ordinary rats into giant rats with a certain growth syrum as a test, but, as it turns out, these are not the soldiers that he originally wanted to have...He then tells them that he has finally uncovered the secret of transforming the human race into an army of ferocious rodents - and that nothing is to stop him...

Meanwhile, the Turtles are just gearing up and preparing to go find the hideout. Mikey also brings the "Ice Cream Kitty" along as an unlikely weapon...Elsewhere, the Rat King is examining the brand new syrum that he has just put together and decides that he should test it out on Irma, who passes out shortly thereafter...Quietly, the Turtles and April are just entering. Unexpectedly, it is revealed that their sensei came along with them too, in spite of what he had claimed earlier on. They then tell April to release all of the people, since the Turtles cannot risk being put into plain sight....While she busies herself with that, the Turtles stealthily sneak around, but the Rat King has already sensed Splinter's presence there and takes control of him, ordering him to kill his sons, one by one...Mikey, however, grabs and tosses the mutated kitty right at Rat King's face, resulting in the latter loosing control and Splinter reverting back to his normal self...Meanwhile, April has managed to find a lever that can release all of the humans - and Casey, April, and Irma then lead them out of the area as quickly as they possibly can. The Turtles then face the multitudinous rats, while Splinter goes to chase after the Rat King (who has a rat sitting on his shoulder), who has fallen through a narrow hole into a long tunnel, where yet another large rat is waiting for him to climb on....

Soon, all of the huge, revolting rats are defeated by the Turtles. Donnie almost falls into a giant fan that Irma had activated by accident, but, luckily, Mikey rescues him at the last moment. They then wonder where their sensei could have gone...

Meanwhile, Splinter still effortlessly chases after the otherwordly villain, who is now jumping from platform to platform in another, dangerous section of the sewer....Splinter winds up clinging onto a platform for dear life, but the Rat King then sends a horde of small rats onto him, which bite his fingers and cause him to fall down many feet, but he manages to cling onto another platform. He refuses to give up here and now and goes to pursue the Rat King once more. When the two finally meet face to face, Splinter quickly lunges at him multiple times, but the Rat King is able to dodge every single one of his well-placed attempts and reminds him that he can see everything coming from a mile away....Just when the bad guy begins to gloat about how supreme he is, Splinter then knocks the rat right off of the Rat King's shoulder and it then plummets over a nearby cliff. The Rat King tells him that he will pay dearly for that, but the villain then realizes that this act was only a mere distraction so that Splinter could snatch the band over Rat King's face in a blink of an eye. Splinter then covers his own with it, preventing the villain from seeing through him, thus giving him a taste of his own medicine....With his competitor's mind completely inactive, Splinter begins to defeat him easily. Splinter then explains to him that the sense of control is nothing but an illusion. This is proven true when the Rat King runs toward where he thinks that Splinter is and he ends up falling over the edge off the cliff....Splinter then says "Goodbye, my king", before removing the blindfold from his forehead and triumphantly walking in the other direction.

Trivia

 * The episodes title is based on the title of the book, "Of Mice and Men."
 * Rat King has tried to turn people into rat people back in the 87 series. Though this time he captured Irma and Casey instead of Irma and Vernon.

Quote

 * Mikey: *licks ice-cream* So I wonder what got into Master Splint-AAAAH! BRAIN FREEZE! AAAAH!
 * Donnie: Mikey! You're making a mess! Keep your ice-cream away from my experiments! I'm trying to make Retor-Mutagen.
 * Mikey: *licks one scoop into the Mutagen* *gasps* *whimpers in worry*
 * Donnie: *sighs* Always messing my stuff.
 * Donnie turns around and sees Mikey leaning casually with his ice-cream.


 * Mikey: Why do I have to wear the cheese?!
 * Raph: We have to lead them away, and you're awesome at being bait!


 * Mikey: *serious tone* Are you ready for the most dangerous, crucial mission of your life?
 * Ice Cream Kitty: *meow*
 * Mikey: *cooes* Aww, kitty. THEN LET'S DO THIS!


 * Rat King: *evil laugh*
 * Splinter: No. Get. Out.
 * Rat King: You're mine now, Splinter. Destroy your sons.
 * Splinter: *flips Leo and about to kill him with a blade*
 * Rat King: One-by-one!
 * Mikey: Forget that, Rat King! *throws the cooler* AW YEAH! ICE CREAM KITTY AWAY!
 * Ice Cream Kitty: *launch and attacks Rat King*
 * Splinter: *free from Rat King's control and got off of Leo*
 * Donnie: Is that April's cat?!
 * Mikey: Absolutely not.


 * Mikey: Smell the cheeeeeeese...*punch* Smell the cheese! *punch* C'mon, smell it! *punch*


 * Donnie: *about to get sliced by the fan Irma accidentally turn on*
 * Mikey: *saves Donnie* Got ya D.
 * Donnie: *helps back up by Mikey* *spotted Ice Cream Kitty* Huh?
 * Ice Cream Kitty: *licks herself* *meow*
 * Donnie: We're gonna talk about that later!
 * Mikey: *laughs nervously*


 * Mikey: Ice Cream Kitty! You're my HERO! *licks the cat* You taste so good.

Gallery
Of Rats and Men/Gallery

Video


