TMNT: Fast Forward Talkback: Episode 1.20: "Turtle X-tinction" (Spoilers)

[Ian]

Episode 1.20: Turtle X-tinction
Original Air Date: April 28, 2007
Written by: Marty Isenberg

Previously, on Fast Forward: Things have been going pretty well for the turtles and co. lately. Sh'Okanabo is presumably off licking his wounds somewhere; Jammerhead is in prison; and Darius Dun has been exposed and defeated, leaving O'Neil tech, for the moment, squarely in Cody's hands.

This week, on Fast Forward: Turtle X goes berserk! Will the new era in O'Neil Tech history be over before it begins?

 

[creativerealms]

Here is the Dish network synopsis for the episode: "Darius Dunn takes over the The Turtle X to extract his revent on his nephew and the Turtles."

Well at least it's not Viral.

 

[CyberCubed]

Well this ep is written by Marty Isenberg, who has been part of the show since Season 1. I believe this is the fellow who gave us all those Turtletitan episodes throughout the series.

 

[creativerealms]

^^^ with the exception of Membership Drive.

 

[YoshiAngemon]

And Serling V2 is really great - He can transform into Turtle X! Eat your processor out, Egg Walker!

 

[creativerealms]

I like Turtle X V2 nice transformation too. It makes Serling more then just a joke character now.

Anyway this episode was good. Not a great as Milk Run or the time travel episode but far better then Enter the Jammer Head and Fall of Darius Dunn. Seems we get one good episode then one bad episode.

There were some good fights. It's nice to see Splinter actually active in the second half of this season even if his fights don't last long. Dunn's revenge was nice and thought out and used continuty. Trapping Cody in the Turtle X so the Turtles would not want to destroy it, while overloading the system, causing massage destruction to the city and kill Cody and maybe the Turtles too.

3.4/5

There was no preview for Next weeks episode which makes me wounder if there is a new one or not.

 

[CyberCubed]

I liked last weeks episode better than this one, although that doesn't mean I disliked this ep, because it was still a good follow-up to last weeks.

You know, Serling being Cody's "battle suit" makes a hell of a lot more sense and makes me wonder why the writers didn't do that from the getgo. I guess somewhere in the middle of writing FF they realized that Turtle-X was redundant when you could use Serling instead?

I would have actually preferred Serling to die in this episode, but at least they didn't overblow the emotion when we see him fine in the next 3 seconds. We also got a "I'll repair you," line from Cody almost immediately, so we can't say we were led down a different path.

Darius is truly the most evil character in FF. Not only is he back for revenge so soon, not only does have Turtle-X destroy a whole buncha stuff for no reason, (he blasted the Shredder armor....noooo!), but he activated the self-destruct to kill Cody while he was still inside. I'm glad to see him go so far as to want to kill his nephew and the Turtles to boot, rather than just scampering around somewhere.

The lack of the Dark Turtles confused me, but I guess we'll find out why they weren't here soon enough.

"It's Serling Time!" was just unbearable though, my ears bled.

 

[collector_cliff]

There was no preview for Next weeks episode which makes me wounder if there is a new one or not.

Looks like 4kids will be showing re-runs across the board next week for all their shows, Future Shellshock is the listed TMNT:FF episode.

 

[Anarky]

this ep was written just to get to that tearjerker moment at the end w/ a dying Serling.

"It's Serling Time" was hilarious though

liked Splinter's commentary on Darius's attack on a child

 

[Shredder565]

I would have actually preferred Serling to die in this episode, but at least they didn't overblow the emotion when we see him fine in the next 3 seconds. We also got a "I'll repair you," line from Cody almost immediately, so we can't say we were led down a different path.

Darius is truly the most evil character in FF. Not only is he back for revenge so soon, not only does have Turtle-X destroy a whole buncha stuff for no reason, (he blasted the Shredder armor....noooo!), but he activated the self-destruct to kill Cody while he was still inside. I'm glad to see him go so far as to want to kill his nephew and the Turtles to boot, rather than just scampering around somewhere.
"It's Serling Time!" was just unbearable though, my ears bled.

Especially the way 'It's Serling Time' was pronounced. Sort of a..'do I have to say this' sort of way? Turtles have evolved past the use of catch phrases at this point...

And lets not forget that Darius was going to wipe out, was it a ten mile radius of the city, too boot... I loved the 'I'll repair you!' line. I was thinking throughout the whole time....are they really going to draw this out? He is a robot afterall..all that needs to be intact is the brain .

 

[Ian]

Aside from an odd loose end or two--Raph and Splinter's apparent abandonment of the chase once Dun got in that elevator, as well as the total absence of the clone turtles--I found this episode to be a minor gem.


Random thoughts:

Does anybody else think that Darius trashing his own office will play out in future episodes? It seems far too deliberate a move to be random.

Now that Serling has had his big, character-defining moment, it's time for Constable Biggles to get his shot. While he works well as he is used now, I think the character is ready for a bit more spotlight. However, I don't want him to suddenly be effective--I quite like him as the policeman who managed to be apathetic about his job despite being a robot. Perhaps something like Hun on the Run is in order, where Biggles has to prove his worth to a Peace-Keeper force ready to replace him.

Speaking of Biggles, I simply loved his "Blimey, it's like they're blowing the place up once a week" meta-line.

Okay, the writers really have to stop trashing Darius' armor every time the dang thing appears. He did a bit better with it this episode, but seriously, it's becoming the new Season 1 Hun. Plus, it doesn't make sense to have Cody's armor to have layers of force fields, and have Darius' be taken down by the guys weapons.

So I guess the whole "Cody's going out with Starlee" thing means they're actually dating--and not for the first time, either. Good to know--Glaxor's comment in Starlee's last episode that Cody was the guy she called her boyfriend made her seem a mite unstable on that department, so it's good to see that they weren't simply the comments of a love-sick teen genius.

CyberCubed: You know, Serling being Cody's "battle suit" makes a hell of a lot more sense and makes me wonder why the writers didn't do that from the getgo. I guess somewhere in the middle of writing FF they realized that Turtle-X was redundant when you could use Serling instead?

Disagree, heavily. Cody didn't need a battle suit until he met the turtles, and Serling had, until now, little reason to want to become one (I'd be livid if Cody "upgraded" him without his consent). Not only that, but it would undermine the entire source of Serling's conflict with the turtles--why would he care if Cody's in Danger if he can serve as his bodyguard? It's the shift in Serling's character that makes this episode so successful, in my eyes.

To elaborate: In this episode, we firmly establish Serling as the Alfred to Cody's Bruce or the Splinter to Cody's turtles: he's practically his father. However, unlike Splinter, who wanted to protect his sons both by isolating them and making sure they knew how to defend themselves, Serling's method of protecting Cody is simply isolation. And it worked, too, until the turtles came along.

Serling’s animosity towards the turtles has three causes: they break stuff, place Cody in peril, and help undermine his authority. With his new "family" and the new self-confidence they bring, we see Cody turn against his "father" time and time again and taking him for granted, with Serling being unable to do anything about it--not only is he, technically Cody's property (or maybe Darius'), but he is constantly being outwitted by the turtles. Not only that, but he is faced with the reality that he really can't protect the kid--he's just not wired that way.

This is all made worse with Darius' revelation. Before, danger was something that they could all avoid, or at least that’s what wishful thinking said. Now, it's something that was living at their front door, inescapable. Worse, it's for the first time, gunning for Cody, who now needs guardians as well as fathers. Serling’s desire to protect his “master” is now greater than ever before, making him feel ever more helpless.

With the events of this episode, Serling gets something back. Not only is his value as a parent reconfirmed, he gets the ability to both protect and to be closer to Cody. Not only does he finally accept that yes, danger is destined to be Cody's lot in life, but he also gains acceptance from the turtles, which he’s never had before and will be necessary to properly protect Cody.

I hope the developments of this episode aren't ignored--along with last episode, it's a very significant one for the gang, and I don't want it to get swept away.

 

[creativerealms]

I see the absent of the clones as this being Dunns own personal attack. He wanted to ruin Cody's name along other things. The rampaging turtle X battle suit would have fallen soley on the head of Cody, since it was his own private invention. That of course being if it did not kill Cody.

I guess Dunn figured he did not need the clones to deal with the turtles. Of course the Clones are still inferior to the original so are probably being upgraded again. So that they will be more of a threat the next time they show up.

 

[Dark Fact]

The episode did seem pretty good. I loved Serling's "It's Serling time!" line because it really looked like Serling wanted to have the spotlight for once.

I do wonder what happened to the turtle clones in this episode? Did Darius really just wanted them to leave him alone or something? At least they could've shown a scene where Darius is just telling the turtles to "beat it" when he has some personal work to do. It would've been a good humour spot.

I have to admit, at the end of the episode, I was expecting Serling to finally kick the bucket as a result of saving Cody from Turtle X's rampage. It would've made for a very powerful moment in not only this season's history but the whole show itself. The parts where Serling was going through the old family videos before ending with a solemn "happy birthday!" was just ripe for pure drama. So naturally, I was pretty annoyed when Cody decided to rebuild him as the new Turtle X. Sure, Serling has a new function but the season's almost over! We may not be given enough episodes to see Serling really play out as the new Turtle X.

I would have actually preferred Serling to die in this episode, but at least they didn't overblow the emotion when we see him fine in the next 3 seconds. We also got a "I'll repair you," line from Cody almost immediately, so we can't say we were led down a different path.

Before that line, you did believe Serling was actually going to die, didn't you?

"It's Serling Time!" was just unbearable though, my ears bled.

C'mon! That line was great and you know it!

 

[CyberCubed]

I always thought that Cody's training with the Turtles would mean he wouldn't use a battlesuit forever. I guess not now, or yet anyway. You have to admit, Cody using that elbow jab on Don at the end of the episode actually look like it hurt.

I've always figured if the writers were going to kill off anyone in FF, it would be one of the robots. Not only is killing off robots obviously a hell of a lot easier to do, its really the only characters they can killl off. I mean, they're sure as hell not going to eliminate Cody or Starlee. You can say they technically killed off Turtle-X, but I don't really count that as its own "character." I dunno, maybe Biggles will get blown to bits in the finale?

On another note, a lot of relics of the past have been blown up lately. First April/Casey's statue in the lobby last week, and now a whole bunch of relics in Cody's trophy room. A way of severing the past from the current series and making FF stand on its own legs, or a way of just giving us old cameos?

Re: The Dark Turtles, don't forget that they apparently work for Shoko'nobo as well. Maybe he called them to help prepare for the Dark of Awakening, whereever he is now?

 

[Dark Fact]

It's easy to kill off robots because the FCC and BS&P have no problems with robots being killed since they're not real people. Just look at Samurai Jack.

Although I have a sneaking suspicion that one of the biggest reasons why Serling wasn't allowed to die was because 4Kids didn't want any drama in a season that's supposed to be "lighter and funnier".

 

[Simpler Simon]

Oooo, a new Turtle X has to mean a title sequence change in the near future, doesn't it???

This was a surprisingly good character episode for Serling, and nowhere near the trainwreck filler the previews made it look like. And yeah, they milked quite a bit of emotion from that final scene, despite the fact that we all know robots can be easily rebooted when they 'die'.

Darius is more evil than I give him credit for. Even last week I honestly didn't think he'd kill Cody, but here with nothing to lose he's ready to take out Cody and quite a few city blocks. Asking why the clone turtles aren't around is like asking where the bat-family is in the Justice League episode "Starcrossed." They aren't relevant to the story being told, and there's oodles of logical reasons they weren't in the lair.

As for yay or nay on "It's Serling time!: definitely yay

You know I've quite liked the latter half of this season since Graduation Day, and with the last 'wild card' episode aired, it should be a strong finish for season 1 from here out.

 

[YoshiAngemon]

I'm in total agreement about that line "It's Serling Time!" Kinda good, considering it's a one-time deal, unlike "It's Ninja Time!"

 

[CyberCubed]

Well next week is a repeat, they're airing the first episode of FF again for the billionth time.

Let's hope its for that Saturday only because 4kids would be stupid not to take advantage of May sweeps when there's only 6 eps left in the season.

 

[Dark Fact]

*sigh* Why can't they just repeat episode 15 instead? That's the only episode of Fast Forward that I haven't watched yet!

 

[CyberCubed]

Isn't that ep up on 4kidsTV.com?

I'm pretty sure 4kids has been steaming old FF episodes up on their site to watch (along with their other shows).