ENTER THE SHREDDER

01PLOT

April O'Neil visits the Turtles in their lair, where they are sleeping after the hardships of the last day. After waking them, she watches as they go through their ninja fighting practice, and then have breakfast (pizzas topped with cereal).

She wants their help to search for the Technodrome, so they journey through the city's sewer system in search of it. It would have been located directly under the now destroyed Manhattan Security Services building. But when they arrive, our heroes find nothing but water and tread marks. Michelangelo is convinced that the Technodrome is mobile and April suggests that they travel through the immense subterranean tunnel system to continue their pursuit. But Leonardo suggests that they inform Master Splinter first.

Meanwhile, Shredder is commandeering the Technodrome in its escape under New York City, and is furious that his "mighty Foot Soldiers" were beaten by a bunch of Turtles. He is summoned to the bowels of the Technodrome by Krang. Krang, a gelatinous creature that looks like a talking brain, is likewise upset that Shredder, despite the vast technical knowledge that Krang has provided for him, has been unable to provide the evil alien with an artificial body so that he may lead his legions "waiting in Dimension X to storm into this world and crush it." Shredder offers a feeble excuse regarding their lack of safety as long as Hamato Yoshi and his Turtles roam the sewers.

Krang then suggests that when Oroku Saki tried to destroy Hamato Yoshi with the Mutagen it in fact made him stronger, because he gained the abilities of rats. Saki picks up on this line of thought and realizes that if he were to expose his own thugs to the Mutagen, along with wild animals, he could then defeat Yoshi and the Turtles.

Back at the Lair, the Turtles and April are now back home to report to Splinter. Splinter is convinced that his old enemy, Oroku Saki, is the mastermind behind the Robotic Ninjas and offers his help in tracking down the Technodrome. While he and the Turtles begin their search, April agrees to return to the Channel 6 newsroom to see if there have been any sightings of the Technodrome.

Meanwhile, a rhino and a warthog are "liberated" from the city zoo by two Robotic Unicycles that have erupted through the sidewalk.

Back underground, Splinter and the Turtles stumble upon the tracks/treads of the Technodrome. They are getting closer. Splinter tries to root through the heap of stones that block their path, and orders his sons to the surface, to seek another way around.

Meanwhile, within the Technodrome, Shredder convinces two street gang members, Bebop and Rocksteady, to undergo an experiment that will enable them to get even with the Turtles; other members of the gang also volunteer. This experiment involves the Mutagen and the captive rhino and warthog from the city zoo. Two robots were sent out to steal the animals as they drag the two animals towards Bebop and Rocksteady so that they can come in contact with them before the mutagen comes down on them. Though Rocksteady is unsure about this, Shredder assures them it will work--although they may have some trouble getting a date on Saturday night.

At Channel 6, April's superior Burne is unimpressed with April's progress on the theft of the high tech scientific equipment and reassigns her to the theft of the rhino and warthog from the city zoo. Outside the Channel 6 building, April encounters the Turtles disguised as "breakdancers." She convinces them that the zoo theft could lead them directly to the Technodrome.

Meanwhile, Splinter himself has located the Technodrome, only to be taken prisoner by one of the Roadkill Rodneys.

At the zoo, the Turtles climb/fall down through a hole left by the Roadkill Rodneys but leave April back on the surface. They land at the feet of the Technodrome where Leonardo finds Splinter's walking stick. Shredder suggests that they enter the Technodrome if they ever want to see Splinter again. Knowing a trap awaits them, the Turtles enter the alien craft. Meanwhile, April calls Thompson to request a camera crew, but it is not granted to her.

The Turtles are immediately caught in a hallway whose walls close in on them, and are nearly crushed before Donatello can rewire a panel. Next they are attacked by robots - first by the Roadkill Rodneys, and then by manufacturing bots that attempt to kill them with lasers, crushing and other methods. Finally, they are nearly run over by a massive, spiked rolling object.

Finally, the Turtles find Splinter strung up from the rafters within a cavernous room. As Leonardo prepares to cut him down, Shredder enters, accompanied by four of his Foot robots. He congratulates the Turtles on their prowess, and he tells the Turtles that Splinter knows him as Oroku Saki, but they can call him "The Shredder", and suggests that they join his Foot Clan. He also suggests that they "owe everything to him," because by using the Mutagen (in an effort to defeat Hamato Yoshi), he mutated the Turtles. When the Turtles refuse, Shredder summons the mutated Bebop (warthog) and Rocksteady (rhino) to destroy them, but they are easily defeated along with the four Foot robots. Leonardo cuts Splinter down and he and the Turtles leave the Technodrome.

Meanwhile, April has the news van on the way. The Turtles and Splinter return to the city surface only to have Bebop and Rocksteady burst through the street, laser rifles a-blasting. Once more the Turtles defeat them, this time by leading them into the city zoo and entrapping them in a cage.

April arrives just in time to videotape the capture of Rocksteady and Bebop, and offers the Turtles and Splinter a ride home. April also will not let the Turtles out of her sight until she gets the whole story. Donatello promises to tell her, but reminds her that as long as Shredder is still loose, the story is not over. April then drives the brothers and Splinter home in the news van.

Moments after they leave, a lone Robotic Unicycle bores up through the Earth, breaks Rocksteady and Bebop out of their "prison," and informs them that the Shredder wishes to speak to them. Rocksteady responds by stating they would rather stay in their cage before being dragged underground.

02CAST & APPEARANCES

03OBJECTS, VEHICLES & PLACES

04SCREEN GRABS

9 frames. Screencaps via Turtlepedia (CC BY-SA).

05MEMORABLE QUOTES

Leonardo (in Raphael's voice): "I got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, Uncle Toto!!"

Shredder: "You may call me, the Shredder,"

- Shredder makes his grand appearance to the Turtles, only to have it ruined by a simple quip from Raphael.

Michelangelo: I feel like a marshmallow in a nutcracker!!

06TRIVIA

• This episode marks the first appearance of Krang, as well as the mutant forms of Bebop and Rocksteady.
• First appearance of the Technodrome.
• The turtles sleep without their masks, which are hung on nails beside their respective bunks. Raphael appears to sleep with his Sai weapon in his hand.
• If Shredder didn't want to call any attention to himself, why didn't he simply steal the animals from the zoo at nighttime?
• Amusingly, Rocksteady calls April a bimbo when she's filming them.
• First appearance of the Technodrome's exterior.
• First mention of Dimension X and Krang's Rock Soldiers army.
• First time the Turtles and Splinter enter the Technodrome.
• Final appearance of Shredder's personal control deck in the 1987 cartoon first seen in the previous episode, but it will make one final appearance in the 87 universe in _Turtles Forever._
• Shredder reveals that he was behind the events that led to the Turtles' creation - something that, in the original comics, he had no direct involvement in. Still, it is mentioned on the cardback for the first series of toys in the "Backstory".
• A still from this episode is used as the background for the closing credits for seasons 1-3. It's taken from the scene when April and the Turtles were searching for the Technodrome underground.
• The "shredder" Raphael is referring to is a vegetable shredder, commonly used in making pizzas. Some might be confused by his line as "shredder" nowadays often refers to a paper shredder, an office appliance.
• A flashback of this episode is used in the season 3 episode, "Blast from the Past".
• Vernon doesn't appear in this episode.
• This episode marks the final appearances of Bebop and Rocksteady in human form (excluding a dream in "Shredderville" and illusions in "Plan Six From Outer Space").
• The sign of "Ray's Jumbo Pizza" is a reference to Ray's Pizza, a name given to many pizzerias found in New York City, all claiming to be the original or some variant thereof. The original location is found on 27 Prince Street in the SoHo area of Manhattan.
• At one point Raphael asked Beebop and Rocksteady if he saw them in The Jungle Book. As it turns out a character named Rocky the rhino was to appear in the movie with the vultures but he was removed due to story changes. 25 years later _Mae Whitman who voiced Shanti in the sequel The Jungle Book 2 became the voice of April in the_ 2012 reboot.

07HOME MEDIA

08FAN REVIEW

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