Return of the Technodrome

Return of the Technodrome is episode number 18 of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. It is the final episode of season 2 (1988).

Plot Summary
At Channel 6, Irma asks her friend April O'Neil when April will meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. April says they are not the most exciting thing of her life. Burne Thompson tells April it is a slow news day and to go out and make news.

Meanwhile in the sewer system under New York City, Splinter leaves the TMNT for his tri-annual three days fast and meditation. April comes and hopes for a story. Raph says it is a big city so something is bound to happen.

Krang wants to destroy the TMNT, saying Shredder has let those turtles escape for the last time. Krang wants to re-power the Technodrome and send it from Dimension X to Earth. Shredder is shocked at this. Shredder takes Bebop and Rocksteady to Niagara Falls, which is on the border between the United States and Canada, and uses Krang's "polarity deflector" to transport the Technodrome to Niagara Falls. Shredder takes over the Niagara Falls power plant and shuts off power to New York City. They route the power to the Technodrome instead.

Leo assumes Shredder is responsible for the power outage. Donatello listens to Krang and Shredder's plan using a communicator, and learn that Shredder has been sent a small contigent of Foot and rock soldiers.

When the TMNT and April arrive at the Niagara Falls in their blimp, they are attacked by Bebop and Rocksteady. Bebop shoots down the blimp's glider with his laser gun. Donatello saves the TMNT and April by using the blimps remote control, sending down the ropes from the blimps balloon. The TMNT and April fly away and safely land, hanging in the ropes as the glider falls down the waterfall.

The TMNT then encounter Splinter, who had seen the electricity coming out from the plant, creating a dimensional portal. Krang has the Technodrome prepare anti-gravity plates and it heads to the portal. The TMNT rush into the plant after distracting the Foot soldiers and Rocksteady and stop the flow of the river. But Krang re-opens the dimensional portal, and the Technodrome arrives. Krang is happy that the turtles will soon be crushed. The turtles, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers, wonder what to do now (Raph says they could always hope an asteroid hits). Krang bids them farewell and tries to fire a laser gun from the Technodrome, but the gun doesn't work because Krang used to much power to keep the dimensional portal open.

Shredder reactivates the Hydro Electric Plant, which recharges the Technodrome. Krang burrows the Technodrome underground, causing an earthquake in New York City. Krang then takes over the TVs in the city, and demands that the inhabitants leave the city within 24 hours, or else Krang will cause a bigger earthquake, destroying the city. Krang had told Shredder he plotted to make the evacuated city their base of operations and from there they will use the capabilities to conquer the planet.

The TMNT, who had heard Krang's message, discover the Technodrome underground. Splinter says, "So begins the final battle." The TMNT break inside using a bomb. While Spliter fights Shredder in their "final confrontation" on a bridge inside the Technodrome, the TMNT fight Bebop, Rocksteady and the Foot Soldiers in the control room (after telling them not to use their weapons as it will damage the circuitry). Donatello fiddles with the wires.

When the inhabitants refuse to leave New York City, Krang tries to start another earthquake. However, when Donatello changed the wires in the control room it altered the seismic polarities and instead, the Technodrome drills deeper underground. Krang blames Shredder, whom is last seen dangling by his cape at the end of the broken bridge where he fought Splinter. The Technodrome comes down to the Earth's core and appears to sink in lava.

In the New York City sewer system, the TMNT celebrate their victory with pizza and April comments that it was a great story.

=Notes=

Locations

 * Turtles' Lair
 * Shredder's hideout
 * Technodrome
 * Niagra Falls
 * Niagra Falls Power Station
 * Earth's crust

Animation/Technical Errors

 * Throughout this episode, Donatello's mask and elbow pads are pink.
 * Krang is also coloured in a deeper red than his usual pink hue.
 * A little later, when Leonardo reaches for his Turtle-Com, he is drawn really, really fat.
 * And a bit later on, when Michelangelo says, "Yeah! Let's show those creepazoids what Turtle power is all about!" both him and Leonardo are chubby.
 * When Donatello tunes his Turtle-Com and intercepts Shredder's message, his wrist bands are missing. Oddly, this error not only occurs in this scene, but several others later on as well.
 * Donatello and Michelangelo vanish when the Turtle Glider hits the water in one scene.
 * Donatello's belt buckle has an "L" on it as the Turtles dangle from the blimp.
 * Also during that scene, Donatello is at the top of the rope as the Turtles grab it. When the entire group lands, Leonardo's the one at the top.
 * Because of a possible layering error, Krang is seen in several shots piloting the Technodrome...several feet away from the controls. Maybe Splinter wasn't the only psychic on that show.
 * The window on Krang's exo-suit becomes narrow when Krang relates his plans of world domination to Shredder.
 * Krang should be taller than Shredder, and yet appears the same size or even smaller than him in some scenes.

Vehicles

 * Turtle Blimp
 * Cheapskates
 * Technodrome
 * Rock Soldier Flying Jeep

Continuity Errors

 * When April contacts the Turtles (a little while after Splinter leaves), Leonardo and the Turtles stop their hoverboards just short of the sewer entrance. When the scene cuts to Raphael saying, "You had to open your big mouth!" the Turtles are already in the sewer entrance.
 * During Leo's ambush of Rocksteady, Raph causes the latter to blast a Rock Soldier and a Foot Soldier at point-blank range, rendering them unconscious in front of the doorway. Yet, once the Turtles regroup in front of that same passage, neither is seen. Where did they go?

Logic Errors

 * Upon intercepting Krang's orders to Shredder, Donatello says that he couldn't make out the transmission....right before saying in full detail what Krang's plans are. Huh?
 * Why didn't Bebop and the army open fire on the Turtle Glider as it passes by on the river? They just stare at it as it passes by.
 * Krang has his mortal enemies completely surrounded by his army, only for him to call them off five seconds later because he wants to do them in himself. And he proceeds to do this by...aiming an easily avoidable laser at them that conks out because the Technodrome is running on fumes as it is (something Krang himself commented on mere seconds ago.) Again, is it any wonder why the 2003 cast gives him no respect?
 * Come to think of it, what happened to all of those soldiers after Krang calls them off? There were probably hundreds of them (some of them in jeeps, no less) in one scene, only for that number to dwindle to a handful later on.
 * The Turtles prepare for the end as Krang aims a laser at them, and yet it doesn't occur to anyone that they can simply run away? The scene even suggests that the army that formerly surrounded them left a clear passage right behind them.

Trivia

 * Throughout the episode, Krang's suit appears to be smirking.
 * When Shredder throws a tantrum at the Turtles escaping, the animation makes him look like he's either dancing, throwing a fit, or being completely off of his nut. The dialog doesn't even help here....it's saying something along the lines of "Oh, rats," which makes Shredder's erratic movements moments ago purely bizarre.
 * Donatello's "exploding throwing stars" make its first appearance here, but, mark our words, it won't be the last.
 * For the build-up the episode created for the "final confrontation" between Splinter and Shredder, it sure had a lousy payoff. The fight last for all of two seconds before the Technodrome starts to go haywire. Pointless, much?

Character voices

 * Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
 * Donatello (Barry Gordon)
 * Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
 * Michaelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
 * Splinter (Peter Renaday)
 * April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs)
 * Burne Thompson (Pat Fraley)
 * Irma (Jennifer Darling)
 * Shredder (James Avery)
 * Krang (Pat Fraley)
 * Bebop (Barry Gordon)
 * Rocksteady (Cam Clarke)

Quotes
Donatello: I hate to say it, but with the Technodrome in Krang's control, we've got our shells to the wall!!

Leonardo: (to Splinter) Master, we must make plans to defeat Krang and Shredder!

Splinter: Unfortunately we can do little until we learn their plan, and by then it might be too late!!


 * - Splinter basically tells everyone they're screwed.