The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle

“The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle”
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode
Season Code:	072
Episode:	10B
Original airdate	July 17, 2020
Written by	Jesse Gordon
Supervising Producer	Alan Wan
Producers:	Vladimir Radev
Directed by	Jake Castorena
Voice Direction	Rob Paulsen
Storyboard Artist:	Alicia Chan
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Fists of Furry" "Battle Nexus: New York"

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 2 October 12, 2019 - August 7, 2020 List of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes

Episodes: Flushed, but Never Forgotten Lair Games Many Unhappy Returns Todd Scouts Goyles, Goyles, Goyles Breaking Purple Repairin' the Baron Air Turtle Pizza Puffs Sidekick Ahoy! The Hidden City Job Always Be Brownies Mystery Meat Donnie vs. Witch Town Raph's Ride-Along Hidden City's Most Wanted Bad Hair Day Fists of Furry The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle Battle Nexus: New York E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Shreddy or Not Anatawa Hitorijanai Rise Season 1 – Season 2

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"The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle" is the nineteenth episode of the second season (Episode 10B) of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and is the sixty-fifth episode overall in the series. It first aired on July 17th, 2020.

Synopsis

Hypno-Potamus traps the Turtles in a magical 80s movie montage.

Appearing in The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle

Major characters

• Donatello (Josh Brener)
• Hypno-Potamus (Rhys Darby)
• Leonardo (Ben Schwartz)
• Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith)
• Raphael (Omar Benson Miller)

Minor characters

• John (Oliver Vaquer) (debut)

Species

• Humans
• Mutant hippopotamus
• Mutant turtles

Objects and vehicles

• Hot Soup: The Game (flashback only)
• Houdini's escape journals (debut)
• Pixel 2 (flashback only)
• Tech-Bō
• Tonfā

Locations

• New York City
  • Magic Town House (debut)
  • Lair (flashback only)

Plot

Burgundy tuxedo, pink dress shirt, red necktie, ruby red Oxford shoes and sunglasses.

The episode opens with the Mad Dogs in a clothing store, the other Mad Dogs eager to see the new outfit Raphael was trying on. As a song called "You Got the Goods" was playing from a boombox on a nearby table, Raph opened the changing room curtain to reveal him wearing a very red suit and tie ensemble. Raph was just as eager to be judged by his brothers. Leonardo loved the outfit, but Donatello admitted he was not "in love" with it. Raph went from feeling fierce only moments ago to now feeling like a disaster. Michelangelo tried to reassure Raph that he looked fine, but Raph wasn't satisfied with just looking "fine" for the event they were going to. Leo and Donnie then began to help Raph pick other outfits.

Raph's next outfit went for the "bad boy" look with a ragged tank top and frayed jeans. The others shook their heads in disapproval. Next, Raph was wearing a bowtie and fedora. The others not only shook their heads but appeared rather disgusted. Next, Raph emerged from the curtain wearing a very loud track suit and then immediately struck a pose. The others shook their heads again. Finally, Raph emerged wearing a mostly white leisure suit ensemble. Donnie, Leo and Mikey immediately approved. Raph suggested they leave for the event, but Leo told him to wait, pulling out a pink "brand" T-shirt he was eager to try on for himself.

Raph's outfits

Ragged lavender tank top, frayed navy blue jeans, brown belt with gold-colored skull belt buckle and black spiked bracelets.

Khaki dress shirt, burgundy bowtie and chocolate brown fedora.

Loud track suit with upturned collar and torn jet black slacks.

Open white leisure suit, low-necked pink undershirt, white belt, white slacks and white loafers.

In the next scene, Leo finished putting on that shirt as part of an exercise-inspired outfit. The other three, now including Raph in his new outfit, all shook their heads in disapproval. Next, Leo slid on his feet to the side into view, his back to the camera, wearing only a shirt and socks and holding a candlestick in a routine parodying a famous scene from the film Risky Business. The others immediately laughed. Next, Leo emerged from the curtains dressed like an Old Western desperado and branding two bananas like pistols. Raph was unimpressed with the outfit, but Donnie and Mikey's reactions were decidedly more positive. Finally, Leo emerged wearing a flight-inspired outfit. The others immediately approved. Donnie then wasted no time telling Mikey it was his turn. Mikey kindly declined.

Leo's outfits

Pink "brand" T-shirt, white and blue running shorts, white wristbands and white sweatband.

White dress shirt and socks.

Chestnut overcoat, dark brown vest, brown belt with holsters, pinstriped dark trousers, brown cowboy hat and bandana-blue neck scarf.

Brown leather flight jacket with fur neck lining, dark grey tank top, dog tags, black belt and torn dark grey jeans.

But in the next scene, Mikey had nevertheless emerged revealing himself wearing a largely white and black shirt and fedora. The others, now including Leo in his new outfit, shook their heads in disapproval. Next, Mikey emerged from the curtain dressed like a tennis player with a racket. The others shook their heads. Next, Mikey emerged wearing a colorful hip-hop-inspired outfit.

Mikey's outfits

White kariba shirt with rolled-up sleeves, jet black slacks, black belt and jet black-banded white fedora.

Long-sleeved yellow sweater jacket, orange gym shorts, white and red sneakers and mid-calf socks.

Colorful long-sleeved open jacket, black tank top, gold-chained pendant, brown belt, chestnut slacks and red-framed sunglasses.

But Mikey stopped, realizing he didn't know why he changed clothes or what they were dressing up for. The others quickly realized they were struggling to remember the reason, too. Raph had the vague recollection that they were going to see a show.

In a flashback, back at home in the lair, Raph and Donnie were playing Hot Soup: The Game while Mikey watched, all of them dressed normally. Leo ran into the common area, kicked aside the game console and revealed that he had obtained four tickets to the Magic Town House's annual Night of a Million Secrets where Harry Houdini's secret journals were to be unveiled to the public for the first time ever.

Back in the present in the clothing store, the Mad Dogs were again looking at their event tickets. Mikey realized that if it was a magic show they were going to, it was a black tie event and they needed to change outfits again.

In the next scene, all the Mad Dogs were trying on black suits over white dress shirts and assorted ties and striking various fashion poses.

Black tie montage

Impressed with how they were looking, Donnie took out his smartphone to snap photos of themselves, but he stopped and quickly noticed that his phone was already full of previously taken photos of the very event they were scheduled to attend—they had already been there, but they couldn't remember it. Donnie, who was in the habit of recording everything, played back a phone video from the event where the Mad Dogs were dressed in suits and ties and wearing feathered color-coordinated masquerade ball masks. As they were variously snapping photos of the exhibits, they spotted Hypno-Potamus, also suited and masked, trying to sneak his way out a door. Leo wondered if Hypno was trying to steal Houdini's journals, speculating that Hypno might learn from them how to warp the fabric of existence. The Mad Dogs resolved to follow Hypno and stop him from whatever he was planning.

Back in the present again, the Mad Dogs began trying to figure out why they were trying on clothes now if they'd already been to the event and were on their way to fight Hypno. Donnie remarked that their current black tie suits too dressy for a fight, suggesting they switch to business casual attire instead. Donnie started removing his suit in preparation for new clothes when Raph hastily slapped him in the face with a flip-flop and ordered that there would be no more outfits. The Mad Dogs were still struggling to remember what happened with Hypno.

The flashback continued with the Mad Dogs examining the hallways of the Magic Town House in search of their adversary, but Hypno was already aware he was being hunted by them. He caused a secret door to open in the wall, which was promptly noticed and investigated by the Mad Dogs. Hypno snuck behind them and forced them through the door.

Back in the present in the clothing store, Raph theorized they must actually currently be inside one of Hypno's magic traps, though he pinched Mikey to make sure they weren't dreaming instead. Needing to find a way out of their predicament, Raph became angry when he noticed Donnie grooving out to the 1980s boombox music in another new outfit: A yellow dress shirt with fuchsia scarf, black slacks and loafers. Mikey then realized that they must be trapped inside an 80s movie makeover montage. Leo asked what happens in those movies. Donnie took a moment to explain the movie makeover tropes, striking various poses from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as he spoke. But Mikey pointed out that, at the ends of these kinds of movies, the protagonists realized that the clothes didn't matter and that they were already perfect just the way they were—and that so were the Mad Dogs here in this clothing store. The Mad Dogs took off their outfits and prepared to break the spell.

But what followed was another montage of scenes as the Mad Dogs actually kept trying on various different outfits and striking different poses—they were still stuck in the montage.

The heroes (not) breaking the spell

Donnie was happy to let it continue, but Leo had an epiphany and looked at the boombox on the table, and the other Mad Dogs looked with him. As they kept staring at the boombox playing its music, they saw brief disturbing flashes of Hypno's face. Realizing that the boombox was the spell, they all hastily smashed it, completely destroying both boombox and audiocassette. It not only brought a halt to the music, but the clothing stores and all their various outfits vanished as well—none of it had been real, and they were actually still inside the empty room at the Magic Town House.

The spell broken, the Mad Dogs promptly set about looking for Hypno, with Leo searching for secret doors. Donnie at first mocks him, but there are indeed various secret doors - Leo finds one, and then Donnie finds another. The statue opened up to reveal a passage and they found some of the people blind folded and tied in ropes. Leo recognize the man is John McCaiser. The man said that the hippo had escaped to a secret vault next to the room. They found Hypno and started to give chase, being attacked by his magic. But at the end of the chase, Hypno became hypnotized by the music recorded by Donnie's speakers and started his own fashion montage. The Mad Dogs started to leave the room to return the journals. After they are gone, a black shadow arrives to take Hypno away.

Trivia

• The episode title is a reference the song, "The Clothes Don't Make The Man" by Keith Anderson.
• The song "You Got the Goods" apes the beat and the overall feel of the Chaka Khan song "I Feel for You", which was written by Prince and was used to time the storyboards of the fashion montage by Rise of the TMNT assistant director and story artist Alicia Chan. Likewise, the montage of the Turtles swinging and dancing to the song comes from Prince's video for "Holly Rock".
• Occasionally a panther roar sound effect is heard when a particularly fetching outfit is revealed. This is an auditory nod to "fierce," a fashion slang term originating from ballroom culture.
• The scene where Leo slides to the side wearing a white shirt and socks and holding a candlestick, is a parody of a famous scene from the 1983 film Risky Business originally featuring Tom Cruise.
  • The same easter egg would be reused later in "Battle Nexus: New York", but involving Sloppy Joseph instead of Leo.
    

    

    
• Some of the clips in the black tie montage are parodies of similar scenes in the music video for Madonna's 1990 song "Vogue", which itself also heavily references the aforementioned ballroom culture.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• In the solo scene where Donnie is wearing a yellow shirt, fuchsia scarf and black trousers, at least some of his various poses are extremely similar to memetic poses of protagonists from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
  • The pose where Donnie points his finger mimics a similar pose by Jōtarō Kūjō, the third "JoJo."
  • The pose where Donnie clutches part of his shirt open mimics a similar pose by Giorno Giovanna, the fifth "JoJo."
    Donnie's JoJo poses

    

    Jōtarō pose.

    

    Giorno pose.
• There is a brief scene where Leo rolls into a ball and rapidly spins around the edges of a doorway in a manner similar to Sonic the Hedgehog. Leo's voice actor, Ben Schwartz, has also voiced the title character in the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel.

• One of the looks Hypno sports in his own clothing montage is of him with a red lightning across his face and bright orange hair, aping the iconic look of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" character.
• Rise of the TMNT executive producer Andy Suriano has a cameo where he sticks his head out one of the boxes for the "saw someone in half" trick.
• The early Mirage continuity designs of of the Turtles appear in a mirror reflection in the hall of mirrors.
• The Magic Town House is based off of a real magicians' clubhouse in Los Angeles called the Magic Castle.
• Two of the spells in Houdini's escape journals, "Castorena" and "Deligiannis", are references to the surnames of Rise of the TMNT director Jake Castorena and Rise of the TMNT color stylist Alex Deligiannis.
• It was revealed in December 2023 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Russ Carney in a Tweet that, "This ep started as a STUPID pitch I made at a #ROTTMNT brainstorming sesh at The Garland hotel in North Hollywood. [Alan Wan] wasn't sure it was viable as an ep after the script was turned in. The magic happened after [Alicia Chan] saw the gold nugget and made it AMAZEBALLS."
• It was revealed in December 2023 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Ron Corcillo in a Tweet that, "Notice the book is titled 'Houdini's Escape Journals' @ 3:50?Originally the fear was that the journals would allow Hypno to break in anywhere.When the artists boarded the surreal chase,we changed it to journals that 'warp the fabric of existence' to explain how weird things got."

Transcript

• The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle/Transcript

Gallery

• The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle/Gallery
• The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle/Animations

Video

Rise of the TMNT ep. The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle - ROUGH ANIMATION

References

• https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/listings/show?cid=69047679&pid=8874063166&tm=2020-07-18+00%3A00%3A00&provider=
• https://www.tvpassport.com/series/rise-of-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/369330