Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow.
This week’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or should I say “Adolescent Alien Warrior Terrapins”?) effectively put a button on the three-episode storyline surrounding the first piece of the Black Hole Generator. At the same time, “The Arena of Carnage” gave us one of the more entertaining standalone adventures we’ve seen, including a direct tie-in to the Triceratons.
Even the cold open, which was enjoyable in its own right, gave us a glimpse at the events to come. I absolutely loved the arcade-style simulation Fugitoid cooked up, right down to Shredder announcing the text graphics in the background. It also made me realize how desperately I want to play a TMNT fighting game in the style of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. (Get on it, Nickelodeon!)
Given how early it started in the episode, we knew “Operation Infiltrate Mothership” wouldn’t end well, but it still featured some cool moments — most notably the Turtles’ breathing meditation inside the airlock. (Rad!) This was also when we met Emperor Zanmoran (Michael Ironside), who apparently outranked even Mozar. Granted, Zanmoran wasn’t quite as imposing as the Triceraton admiral, but that’s asking a lot when Michael Dorn is voicing him. Rather, Ironside gave Zanmoran a kind of snooty, Commodus presence, which suited the story better anyway.
Of course, the bulk of this episode was centered around the Triceraton Arena, which in itself was a great idea for an episode. The execution was even better, as the captured Turtles made a friend on the inside, Zeno (voiced by a gruffer-than-usual John DiMaggio), who gave the boys intel on their first battle.
I’m not actually sure, but the Triceraton Arena certainly felt like one of the most populated sets we’ve seen on the show. I also dug the Turtles’ skirmish with the Spasmosaur (which coincidentally looked a lot like the Rathtars in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and chuckled at the Triceraton spectators spilling drinks over the fight.
Considering TMNT only has 22 minutes for each episode, I understand why there wasn’t more time for other fights, but it still would have been cool to see the Turtles work their way up in the arena before inevitably facing Zeno. We all knew that fight was coming, but the Turtles’ single victory didn’t really feel like a solid enough foundation to convince Zeno to turn on Zanmoran in the ring. More bonding time amongst the two parties, even in montage form, would have made that moment more believable.
Regardless, I liked the way the Turtles’ storyline dovetailed with April, Casey and Fugitoid’s. For awhile there, I was worried the three of them would be stuck on the ship the whole time, but it was nice to see them do their part behind the scenes and recover the Black Hole Generator piece they’d originally come for.
It was also cool seeing April’s psychic powers in action again. Between her training with Fugitoid and the Soul Star fragment she picked up a couple episodes back, April is clearly on the path to becoming more powerful than she maybe even knows (like when she created a freaking forcefield around herself in deep space). While her ninja training has definitely taken a backseat in recent episodes, her new abilities could be even more crucial back on Earth.
Speaking of which, now that the Turtles are one step closer to overthrowing the Triceratons’ plan, it seems the second piece may be closer to them than expected — which, in Mikey’s Fugitoid’s words, “Booyakasha!”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles channeled its inner Gladiator this week, while also wrapping up the mini-arc of retrieving the first Black Hole Generator piece. In addition to those things, we got a better sense of the Triceratons’ hierarchy (and entertainment), as well as April’s ever-evolving powers. While “The Arena of Carnage” was a little predictable in spots, the overall premise and execution worked really well in the context of the larger story.
