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rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles (2018-2020): a rec post, kinda sorta
I believe the key to being a fan of the bloated mega-franchise that is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is accepting that every iteration has its own brand of cringe, and you simply develop a natural immunity to your formative experience. I, personally, was inoculated via the '03 series, known for its serious and well-developed storyline, hokey 90s/00s aesthetics, and overuse of eye-rolling euphemisms like 'shell' because they couldn't let the turtles say 'fuck' even though they clearly wanted to.
Rise of the TMNT deserves credit for managing to grow on me despite having a very different vibe. The bright and dynamic animation from Flying Bark Productions was a huge part of the draw, but I ended up quite enjoying a number of the twists they took with the setting and origin, and even the bold reinventions of personalities and relationships had their perks (open affection between siblings and friends is always welcome). In the cycle of endless reboots, sometimes it's nice to try something new.
That said, the cringe was often pretty real, and I did not have immunity. At least 75% of the show is just unrestrained goofy nonsense, and that is a lot of meme-ified filler to wade through for someone accustomed to a series where you're harder pressed to find episodes that aren't part of a larger arc. The humour was a very mixed bag for me - I spent about as much time laughing in disbelief at how stupid something was as I did having a genuine chortle. The plot, when it emerged, could be interesting and even a tiny bit cool; attempts at being deep were feeble. Also, still not sure how to feel about Splinter's physical redesign. Choices... were made.
So I can't easily recommend the show in entirety. What I can do is recommend the thread of the main plot + some of the filler that made me smile to anyone who is in a similar boat. A boat named the S.S. I Enjoy Nostalgia, Familial Schmoop, And Animated Fight Choreography So Slick I Could Cry, But Boy That's A Lot Of Dabbing. It's roomy.
The Shortcut
Winger's guide to the main spine of the show.
S1E01 - Mystic Mayhem
Introducing the turtles, April O'Neil, and Baron Draxum.
S1E02 - Origami Tsunami
Introducing the Foot.
S1E11 - Minotaur Maze
Introducing some worldbuilding. (Honestly it's just the first three minutes.)
S1E12 - Bug Busters
Introducing Big Mama and much more worldbuilding!
S1E13 - The Longest Fight
Hmm, something sure is up with those Foot guys. (Honestly it's just the last three minutes.)
S1E22 - Hot Soup: The Game
Introducing Foot Recruit, a secret weapon that will help us later.
S1E23 - The Evil League of Mutants
An origin story! ...In song.
S1E28 - Shadow of Evil
The plot thickens, like milk left out overnight.
S1E45 - Insane in the Mama Train
"Winger, did we just skip 17 episodes?" Look, literally all the plot-relevant occurrences between then and now are the turtles failing to prevent progression of an evil plan through wacky incompetence. Ya might as well get to the part where there start being consequences for it.
S1E46 - End Game
A surprisingly dramatic season finale!
S2E01 - Many Unhappy Returns
If you only care to watch one episode, it should probably be this. A good mix of epic action, humour, and heart.
S2E07 - Repairin' the Baron
Time to redeem a villain.
S2E12 - Always Be Brownies
Mostly filler, but part of Foot Recruit's storyline so I'm putting it in.
S2E16 - Hidden City's Most Wanted
Technically one-quarter of a series of wacky shenanigans in the Hidden City, this one is the most important in terms of continuing character development.
S2E20 - Battle Nexus: New York
Big Mama alters the terms of the deal at the last second.
S2E21-24 - The Big Finale
Splinter and the turtles face the true Shredder and unlock their destinies... with some help.
*
Fun Filler
Episodes that entertained, usually with worldbuilding or family/friend moments.
S1E03 - Donnie's Gifts
Sometimes even the thought doesn't count that much. Incidentally, Meatsweat's debut episode.
S1E09 - The Fast and the Furriest
The debut of the classic tank vehicle! Shame someone's nicked it.
S1E15 - The Gumbus
If I had to suffer this punchline, so does everyone else.
S1E19 - The Purple Jacket
Donnie and April go up against the Purple Dragons.
S1E25 - Bullhop
The turtles try to make amends for a previous mistake.
S1E29 - Portaljacked
Leo loses his brothers in a portal mishap, and has to dive into the Hidden City to find them.
S1E31 - Operation: Normal
April tries to have a normal day. Leo and Don... help?
S1E35 - Mystic Library
How hard can it be to find a book? Pretty hard when bats get involved.
S1E36 - The Purple Game
Donnie develops a slight gaming addiction.
S1E37 - Man Vs. Sewer
A relaxing day out in the sewer goes amok when Raph is separated from his brothers.
S1E39 - Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man
Splinter attempts to relive his glory days, and hurts some feelings in the process.
S1E42 - Snow Day
A proper rumpus in the snow! ...With song.
S1E43 - Cloak and Swaggert
April and Sunita have an adventure.
S2E04 - Flushed, But Never Forgotten
A classic 'I know what you did last summer' parody.
S2E05 - Lair Games
The brothers' annual competition gets heated.
S2E18 - Fists of Furry
Splinter and April defend the honour of the last Lou Jitsu dojo in town.
S2E20 - The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle
The animators have way too much fun.
Bonus: the voice actors singing the catchy theme song, a capella style.
Rise of the TMNT deserves credit for managing to grow on me despite having a very different vibe. The bright and dynamic animation from Flying Bark Productions was a huge part of the draw, but I ended up quite enjoying a number of the twists they took with the setting and origin, and even the bold reinventions of personalities and relationships had their perks (open affection between siblings and friends is always welcome). In the cycle of endless reboots, sometimes it's nice to try something new.
That said, the cringe was often pretty real, and I did not have immunity. At least 75% of the show is just unrestrained goofy nonsense, and that is a lot of meme-ified filler to wade through for someone accustomed to a series where you're harder pressed to find episodes that aren't part of a larger arc. The humour was a very mixed bag for me - I spent about as much time laughing in disbelief at how stupid something was as I did having a genuine chortle. The plot, when it emerged, could be interesting and even a tiny bit cool; attempts at being deep were feeble. Also, still not sure how to feel about Splinter's physical redesign. Choices... were made.
So I can't easily recommend the show in entirety. What I can do is recommend the thread of the main plot + some of the filler that made me smile to anyone who is in a similar boat. A boat named the S.S. I Enjoy Nostalgia, Familial Schmoop, And Animated Fight Choreography So Slick I Could Cry, But Boy That's A Lot Of Dabbing. It's roomy.
The Shortcut
Winger's guide to the main spine of the show.
S1E01 - Mystic Mayhem
Introducing the turtles, April O'Neil, and Baron Draxum.
S1E02 - Origami Tsunami
Introducing the Foot.
S1E11 - Minotaur Maze
Introducing some worldbuilding. (Honestly it's just the first three minutes.)
S1E12 - Bug Busters
Introducing Big Mama and much more worldbuilding!
S1E13 - The Longest Fight
Hmm, something sure is up with those Foot guys. (Honestly it's just the last three minutes.)
S1E22 - Hot Soup: The Game
Introducing Foot Recruit, a secret weapon that will help us later.
S1E23 - The Evil League of Mutants
An origin story! ...In song.
S1E28 - Shadow of Evil
The plot thickens, like milk left out overnight.
S1E45 - Insane in the Mama Train
"Winger, did we just skip 17 episodes?" Look, literally all the plot-relevant occurrences between then and now are the turtles failing to prevent progression of an evil plan through wacky incompetence. Ya might as well get to the part where there start being consequences for it.
S1E46 - End Game
A surprisingly dramatic season finale!
S2E01 - Many Unhappy Returns
If you only care to watch one episode, it should probably be this. A good mix of epic action, humour, and heart.
S2E07 - Repairin' the Baron
Time to redeem a villain.
S2E12 - Always Be Brownies
Mostly filler, but part of Foot Recruit's storyline so I'm putting it in.
S2E16 - Hidden City's Most Wanted
Technically one-quarter of a series of wacky shenanigans in the Hidden City, this one is the most important in terms of continuing character development.
S2E20 - Battle Nexus: New York
Big Mama alters the terms of the deal at the last second.
S2E21-24 - The Big Finale
Splinter and the turtles face the true Shredder and unlock their destinies... with some help.
*
Fun Filler
Episodes that entertained, usually with worldbuilding or family/friend moments.
S1E03 - Donnie's Gifts
Sometimes even the thought doesn't count that much. Incidentally, Meatsweat's debut episode.
S1E09 - The Fast and the Furriest
The debut of the classic tank vehicle! Shame someone's nicked it.
S1E15 - The Gumbus
If I had to suffer this punchline, so does everyone else.
S1E19 - The Purple Jacket
Donnie and April go up against the Purple Dragons.
S1E25 - Bullhop
The turtles try to make amends for a previous mistake.
S1E29 - Portaljacked
Leo loses his brothers in a portal mishap, and has to dive into the Hidden City to find them.
S1E31 - Operation: Normal
April tries to have a normal day. Leo and Don... help?
S1E35 - Mystic Library
How hard can it be to find a book? Pretty hard when bats get involved.
S1E36 - The Purple Game
Donnie develops a slight gaming addiction.
S1E37 - Man Vs. Sewer
A relaxing day out in the sewer goes amok when Raph is separated from his brothers.
S1E39 - Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man
Splinter attempts to relive his glory days, and hurts some feelings in the process.
S1E42 - Snow Day
A proper rumpus in the snow! ...With song.
S1E43 - Cloak and Swaggert
April and Sunita have an adventure.
S2E04 - Flushed, But Never Forgotten
A classic 'I know what you did last summer' parody.
S2E05 - Lair Games
The brothers' annual competition gets heated.
S2E18 - Fists of Furry
Splinter and April defend the honour of the last Lou Jitsu dojo in town.
S2E20 - The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle
The animators have way too much fun.
Bonus: the voice actors singing the catchy theme song, a capella style.