“It’s not just about saving Earth. It’s about saving all worlds.”
It had been nearly two months since our last TMNT fix, during which time our only brief hit was a new trailer for the live-action movie sequel. (I admit, hearing Fugitoid this week was slightly unsettling after watching the entirety of David Tennant’s performance in Jessica Jones between episodes.) But at long last, the series returned with “Riddle of the Ancient Aeons,” which marked the season’s first major milestone since the premiere.
In “Beyond the Known Universe,” we learned that the Utroms had hidden away three fragments that make up the Black Hole Generator, with this week’s episode focusing on the first of those three. And while the journey itself was pretty standard — including yet another mind-altering plot device — the storyline’s use of mystery and scale was pretty epic.
For one, the planet design here was very well done. With the show continuing to explore further and further reaches of space, Season 4 has yet to disappoint in terms of showing us new worlds and sci-fi sets. In this case, the dark forests and ancient architecture seemed like an apt resting place for the first fragment. Fugitoid explaining the Aeon’s history throughout the episode was another nice touch (Prothean-esque even), especially given the outcome of the “demon bats.”
That said, the boys fighting amongst themselves dragged on somewhat. From the second Raphael and Mikey started bickering, it was obvious the planet was affecting them. That was even after April’s “I have a bad feeling about this” moment, which tipped us off to something more sinister at play. It was a little weird how the planet affected Mozar but none of the other Triceratons. I thought for sure they would all turn on each other by the end.
Regardless, “Riddle of the Ancient Aeons” ended strong. The Soul Star, for instance, turned out to be a great crux for this storyline. Not only did it reveal what was actually happening with the Aeons/demon bats, but it gave April her moment to shine after warning the group about her psychic vibes on the planet’s surface. It also tied in rather nicely with the fact that the fragment was the first piece of technology ever allowed on their planet.
To that end, I was intrigued by Donnie foreshadowing that “anyone can be corrupted by power,” as it cut to April admiring her piece of the Soul Star. That combined with her inherent power, which continues to grow under Fugitoid’s tutelage, could lead to some very cool possibilities for April down the line.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returned with another strong entry for Season 4. In addition to advancing the main plot, this week’s episode featured a rad mystical element that tapped into April’s psychic abilities. While the boys’ squabbling could have been cut down a bit, the resulting showdown and big twist at the end made “Riddle of the Ancient Aeons” another win for this space-faring season.
