The Gauntlet (episode)

"The Gauntlet" is the ninth episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series). It aired on November 17, 2012.

Major Characters
Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, Master Splinter, April O'Neil and Shredder

Secondary Characters
Pete, Kirby O'Neil, Kraang, Foot Clan, Chris Bradford, Xever, Foot Ninja

Plot Synopsis
The episode start off with April on the streets of New York. As she turns into an alley way, something flying sends her running in fear, as she gets into a bank and watches this pigeon mutant crash into the glass. After the pigeon flies away, April comments that her life is really getting weird.

Meanwhile, Donatello is showing the Turtles that he learned to make ninja smoke bombs out of eggs. Michelangelo finds out and is impressed, using them to basically warp all over the place. April rushes in and tells them about the mutant pigeon that is after her. The Turtles decide to lure thehh pigeon out with April as bait so they can capture it. Just as they run out, Splinter stops them and tells them that they know nothing about their enemy and are being too overconfident. Leonardo says, they defeated giant spiders, plant creatues,  alien robots and an army of ninjas, and think they're 'just that good'. Splinter doesn't approve as they rush off.

Elsewhere, Shredder is still angry that Bradford and Xever have failed in the defeating the Turtles twice and sees he has to take them down himself.

April wanders around, making herself an open target for the pigeon to fly at her. After April and Donatello have a little argument about how she's not playing good bait, the pigeon man appears. The Turtles taze him down and capture him. The pigeon, named Pigeon Pete, was actually sent by April's father to warn her about a big danger coming soon, and he wants her to leave the city as fast as she can. April refuses to leave the city without her dad, so the Turtles convince Pigeon Pete to take them to where The Kraang are holding him. However, some Foot Ninjas overhear this. Bradford and Xever are at a fish market discussing their problems, when they get a call from the Foot.

The Turtles sneak into the Kraang's base while April waits outside. Donatello and Michelangelo try to work the machinery while Leonardo and Raphael go to rescue April's father. Through him they find out that the Kraang are from another dimension and the mutagen doesn't work there the same way it works on Earth. They're kidnapping the scientists to help them modify the mutagen. Donatello and Michelangelo rush in telling them that the Kraang plan to set off a mutagen bomb covering half the city. Michelangelo accidentally sets the alarm, alerting all the Kraang while Leonardo finally gets April's father free.

The Turtles try to escape but there are too many of the Kraang to do so. April's father grabs a blaster and shoots the Kraang, giving the Turtles time to escape. He asks them to keep April safe and save the city. April helps the Turtles escape, being sad that her father got captured again. Donatello promises that they will rescue him, but for now they have to put out that bomb.

The Kraang are atop the Wolf Hotel and say that the Mutagen bomb will go off in five minutes. The Turtles arrive and start taking down the robots with arrows. Donatello finds the bomb but is surprised by how incredibly complex it is. To complicate matters, Bradford and Xever show up and start attacking the Turtles. Donatello tries to defuse the bomb as the others fight it out. Michelangelo yells for Donatello to cut the green one, and sure enough it works and deactivates the bomb. With the bomb defused and Donatello back into the fight, the Turtles finally manage to defeat Bradford and Xever. Bradford says that if he's going down, he'll take everyone with him and stabs the mutagen bomb with his sword. This causes the mutagen to burst out and splash all over Bradford and Xever, sending them falling over the tower.

Leonardo sums up that they defeated the Kraang, Bradford and Xever and also defused a bomb which saved the city, claiming that they're 'just that good'. Suddenly the turtles hear in a booming voice "Your skills are impressive... but they will not save you." And The Shredder appears. Michelangelo tries to use a smoke bomb to escape, but he has already used them all and tossed an ordinary egg by mistake. Shredder faces the Turtles one by one, and takes them all down in single combat. Michelangelo does manage to hang him over the side of the Wolf Tower with his kusarigama, but then Shredder cuts himself free and sends a huge chunk of the sign on top of Michelangelo. Even though Shredder defeated them, he is proven not to be invincible, as each turtle gets one good hit on the Shredder. As the others help Michelangelo back up, Shredder gets ready for more, and defeats them all in mid-air combat.

As Shredder prepares to kill Leonardo, he asks him where to find his sworn enemy Hamato Yoshi, Suddenly, Xever appears, mutated into a fish and gasping for air, as well as Bradford, now a mutant dog. Shredder is surprised to see his men turned into monsters, but when he turns, the Turtles are already gone.

Back at the lair, the Turtles are bruised, battered, broken and humbled. Splinter says that they are lucky to have faced the Shredder and survived. Leonardo says he was right about them being overconfident. Splinter says that it no longer matters because "As of this moment, we are at war."

Quotes
April: "I am being hunted... by a giant pigeon." Raphael:  (Laughs but pauses as he notices nobody is laughing) "I can't be the only one who's finds that funny?" Donatello: "It's not funny Raph, there's a creature out there trying to hurt my April!" (April stares)                                                                                                                                                 Donatello: "I mean our April... April."

April: "He would have torned me into pieces... if he hadn't slammed into the glass." Raphael: (L aughs and pauses again) "Really, just me?"

  Leonardo:"Donnie, hack into the system and see what you can find about the Kraang´s plot. Raph, you´re with me.Mikey, you stay with Donnie."

Donatello: "Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?"

Michelangelo: "Hey!"

Leonardo: "I don´t want him. And I´m in charge!"

Michelangelo: "Hey!"

Donatello:"Well, then make Raph take Mikey."

Raphael:"Over my dead body."

Michelangelo:"You know, I´m starting to think nobody wants to be with me. Fine! I´ll just go for my own."

(Throws a smoke bomb and appears in a closet)(All stare at him)

Michelangelo:"Ha Ha Ha... Thats a closet"

Leonardo: "You're gonna have to catch us first! Mikey?"

Michelangelo: "So long, sucker!"

(Throws a "smoke bomb", only to find it's a real egg)(All glare/stare at him)

Michelangelo: "Oops...all right, that one's on me."

More to be added...

Trivia

 * This episode was originally titled "Enter Shredder".
 * Pigeon Pete is named after Michelangelo's pigeon friend from the episode What's Michaelangelo Good For? of the 1987 cartoon.
 * This is the episode where Bradford and Xever get mutated into Dogpound and Fishface respectively.
 * Shredder's dog Hachiko is named after a Shiba Inu  known for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, even after his owner's death.
 * The "Wolf Hotel" was named after Fred Wolf, an American animator of "Fred Wolf Films" which produced the 1987 cartoon series.
 * This is the first episode in which the Turtles face off with the Shredder.
 * The Turtles battle with Shredder borrows many images from their first encounter with him in the original Mirage comic.
 * The injuries the Turtles get from their fight with Shredder are the same as their injuries from fighting the Stockman Pod in I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman.

The Gauntlet