It Came From The Depths

"It Came From The Depths" is the twelfth episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series). It aired on December 15, 2012.

Information

 * Main Characters:  Michelangelo, Donatello, Kraang, Leonardo, Leatherhead, Raphael, Splinter
 * Secondary Characters: Joan Grody
 * Locations: Turtle Lair, Sewers

Plot Synopsis
The episode opens with a squad of Kraang chasing a large creature trailing cables from its limbs. It puts up a vicious fight and, though it is badly wounded, it manages to escape into the sewers.

Later, the Turtles are relaxing in the Sewer Lair. They see a news story on TV reporting sewer workers being attacked by a reptilian mutant monster. The Turtles decide that they can't have a dangerous mutant attracting news crews to the sewers and plan to investigate. Going to the same tunnel that was shown on TV, the Turtles find a trail of large footprints and follow it. They then stumble on a mutant battling against another squad of Kraang. The beast holds his own at first but the Kraang get the better of him with electric stun batons. They demand that he tell them the location of a thing called a "power cell". The mutant refuses and the Kraang zap him until he falls unconscious.

Mikey wants to help the mutant, but his brothers are hesitant as they know nothing about him. Mikey goes to the rescue anyway and his brothers follow him. Two Kraang try to drag the unconscious mutant away but Mikey stops them. With the Kraang gone, Leo says that they must get away before more Kraang show up. Mikey refuses to leave the mutant behind, and eventually convinces his brothers to help him take the him back to the lair.

In the lair, Mikey is convinced that the mutant will be grateful to them for saving him. However, once he comes to, the mutant immediately attacks the Turtles until Leo subdues it with Donnie's stun gun. Splinter comes in and the boys explain the situation. Splinter commends Mikey for his kindness and charges Mikey with befriending him so that they may learn what he knows about the Kraang. He then orders the other Turtles to find the Power Cell before the Kraang can.

The mutant wakes up to find himself chained to a wall in the lair. Michelangelo introduces himself and explains that they brought him here to recover. The mutant demands to be set free and is at first very hostile towards Mikey. Mikey offers him some of his homemade "pizza noodle soup". After a spoonful the mutant calms down, saying it is the best thing he's ever tasted. Mikey is delighted to find someone who likes his cooking and begins feeding the mutant spoonful after spoonful. Mikey then asks the mutant for his name and, after learning that he has none, dubs him Leatherhead. Mikey asks Leatherhead why he attacked Donnie before and Leatherhead explains that, at times, he loses control of himself, though is always sorry for what he has done. Mikey reasons that Leatherhead must see himself as a monster since that is how he has always been treated.

Meanwhile Leo, Raph, and Donnie explore a sewer pool in search of the power cell. They come upon a tunnel that is riddled with homemade booby traps including flying road signs, floor spikes, and rolling spiked barrels. They manage to reach the end of the tunnel and find the power cell hidden behind a secret door in a wall; a glowing crystal within a glass cylinder. Donnie discovers, painfully, that the crystal puts out an amazing amount of energy and, with the right components, could power almost anything.

They bring the power cell back to the lair to find that Mikey has set Leatherhead free. They are horrified that the dangerous and unstable creature is loose, but Mikey explains that Leatherhead is completely mellow. Leo attempts to ask him about the Kraang but he loses control of his rage at every mention of the word. Mikey is able to calm him, also getting frustrated with Leo for saying the word. He lets the others ask their questions. Donnie holds out the power cell and asks what it is. Leatherhead loses control again at seeing the cell, calling Donnie a thief and seizing his head again. The Turtles attack him, Mikey trying to calm him again. Leatherhead defeats them all, including Mikey, and seizes the power cell.

Splinter arrives and demands he get away from his sons. Leatherhead attacks him but, through speed and skill, Splinter is able to use Leatherhead's own size and strength against him. Splinter demands that Leatherhead leave, and he does, taking the cell with him. Splinter rushes to aid the boys and they discover that Mikey has already left to find Leatherhead.

Leatherhead retreats to his own lair, a graffiti-covered subway car. He plays an old vinyl jazz record that seems to calm his rage. Mikey comes in and demands an explanation for his actions. Leatherhead reminds him that he must be alone as there is a dangerous force within him. Mikey's brothers arrive and command Leatherhead to leave Mikey alone. Leatherhead pleads that he means Mikey no harm and tells the Turtles the story of his past.

He was raised as a baby by a kind human boy until his parents discovered him and dumped him into the sewers. The Kraang found him, took him back to their dimension, and performed horrific experiments on him. Leatherhead endured all of this and his spirit remained unbroken. He escaped captivity six months ago, used the Kraang's dimensional portal to return to Earth and stole the power cell that runs it. He took it in order to spare Earth from the Kraang's evil, as they can no longer come and go freely between worlds.

Just then a squad of Kraang attacks the subway car. The Turtles defend Leatherhead as best they can but there are too many and they can't hold them for long. Leo suggests Donnie use the power cell to get the subway car moving. Leatherhead entrusts Mikey with the cell and confronts the Kraang to buy Donnie time. Leatherhead decimates the Kraang forces and Donnie manages to hook the power cell to the subway car's motor. The cell supercharges the motor and sends the car, with the Turtles inside, rocketing through the tunnels at unbelievable speed. When they pull the brake and come to a stop, they find themselves outside the sewage treatment plant.

Back in the sewer, two badly mangled Kraang say that they must inform the others that the Turtles have taken the power cell. Leatherhead looms over them, saying that they won't be telling anyone anything and lunges to attack them.

Gallery
See: It Came From The Depths / Gallery 

Trivia

 * Leatherhead made his first appearance in the series.
 * This is the first time someone freaks out when Raph pops his head into his shell to avoid decapitation.
 * This episode was originally titled "Leatherhead".
 * This is the third episode April has not appeared in, the first being "Turtle Temper" and the second being "I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman".
 * Donatello briefly uses the naginata blade in his bo staff to access the motor of the subway car. This is the second time the blade has appeared since "I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman".
 * According to show writer Kenny Byerly, the ugly, stinky place that Mikey thinks is beautiful, where the Turtles end up after their wild subway ride, was originally not a sewage plant but New Jersey.
 * Leatherhead's train station lair may be a reference to the turtles lair in the last two 90's movies.
 * The graffiti on the back of Leatherhead's subway car hideout might have been left by Casey Jones, as it prominently features a face resembling a goalie mask and the initials "CJ".
 * This episode is the mid-season finale for Season 1. New episodes of TMNT returned on January 25, 2013.
 * The quote from Raph; "Sometimes it's good to be a turtle" may be a reference to the sentence in the live action movies (1990 - 1993) and first animated movie (2007); "I love being a turtle!"

Video


It Came From The Depths