Youre welcome, Den of Geek readers.
Then, in my local supermarket, I found this.
Exactly like I did last year.
So this is a, er, rebake.
Here is my write up of 5 of my favourite episodes from Nickelodeons Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Ill also be updating you on my attempt to eat an entire birthday cake on my own.
Notable Michelangelo quote:Check it out… Super Mikey Brothers!
One by one, the gang are terrorised by their minds thanks to these evil mutated mushrooms.
Ive included this episode because it showcases Nickelodeons take onTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesat its most inventive.
Its just 22 minutes of brilliance.
Visually, it has a lot going on.
The whole thing is just super tripped out.
There are also some really wonderful transitions between the different characters nightmare experiences.
I do understand that it sounds like a brilliant thing to do, to eat an entire cake.
This time I knew that I would need assistance.
Ladies and gentlemen, Id like to introduce you to Assistance.
So, with a decent supply of coffee to hand, I ate a large slice of cake.
As you might expect, just the first normal amount of cake was lovely.
Otherwise its just a standard sponge.
A wedge of enjoyment.
You get the idea.
I just had to hope that the hallucination theme of the episode didnt prove prophetic.
Notable Michelangelo quote:Smell the cheese.
Another solid horror episode, this one sees the Turtles pitted against the returning Rat King.
The Turtles have to stop him.
This is an episode that gets all sorts of things right.
The Rat King/Splinter dynamic is terrific.
As far as the other characters go,Of Rats and Mendoes a good job of involving multiple characters.
Where this one thrives, where any episode of NickelodeonsTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesthrives, is its use of Michelangelo.
His new sidekick, Ice Cream Kitty!
What was I doing this for?
Was anyone even going to read this?
Was it really necessary for me to eat cake just so I could write about my beloved Ninja Turtles?
Notable Michelangelo quote:Dude, when you hear what happened you are gonna laugh so hard!
Bungling scientist Baxter Stockman has failed Shredder one time too many.
Despite his plea for one final chance (hes working on a plan involving mutant pigs and rhinos!
), hes covered in mutagen, and soon transforms into a beastly human-fly hybrid.
Back at the Turtles lair, Donatello has perfected a retromutagen, albeit a very limited quantity of it.
As far as horror goes, Im going to talk about one particular scene.
Shredders mutant henchman… henchdog?
Theyre in his lab.
The lights are flickering.
The newly monsterfied Stockman can be seen as a silhouette in the background.
One by one, he starts picking off the Footbots.
Its kind of intense.
Turflytle is Michelangelos fly alter ego, complete with homemade costume and catchphrase Buzz buzz!
A natural enemy to Baxter Stockmans mutant fly, Turflytle is genuinely hilarious and steals the episode.
I actually thought the new Turtles film was ocake
Why am I doing this to myself?
Notable Michelangelo quote:You think I joke about the pizza?
You know me a little better than that, Donnie, to joke about the pizza!
InPizzaface,Michelangelo fights pizza zombies.
I thinkPizzafaceis my favourite episode of this show so far.
It is riotously funny.
Praise must be split between the writers, the animators and voice actor Greg Cipes.
Pizzafaceprovides opportunity to talk about some of the geek credibility the show carries.
Mikeys battles with living pizzas are a clear nod to Bruce Campbell/The Evil Dead.
Mikey even sings the chorus to Vanilla Ices Ninja Turtles anthem Ninja Rap.
These are little references expertly woven into the fabric of the show.
They dont necessarily stand out; not understanding them wont negatively impact your ability to enjoy the show.
But they are there and they serve as to inform us of where this show has come from.
Cakeface
A pizza who eats calzones?
says Michelangelo in this episode.
It dawned on me that this far into the challenge, I was more cake than man.
My celebration ofNinja Turtleshad unexpectedly changed into some warped sugary cannibalistic ritual.
Something had to be done.
Id already had some assistance from Assistance.
With my coffee/cake/human being ratio pulled back to somewhere close to normal, I ate another slice of cake.
I dont know if I enjoyed it, but I ate it.
With the Shredders blessing he sets off on a mission of revenge against the Turtles.
The Turtles must go all out to defend their lair from the brutal Tiger Claw.
There are three things I want to talk about in regard to this episode.
The first is how it digs into the family dynamics between the characters.
Despite barely featuring, this episode is a massively important one for the over-bladed baddie.
It does a good deal to humanise him.
The third thing I want to cover is the fight scene at the end of the episode.
It doesnt just look good, it feels good; its thrilling and fraught and frantic.
Two articles in and I can confirm that its a really stupid idea.
I love the newTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescartoon.
It fills me with enthusiasm, excitement and reverence.
Trying to eat a whole cake just fills me with cake.
I dont think Im going to do this again.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesseason three starts Saturday 7th February at 9.30am on Nicktoons.
The second half of season 2 is out on DVD on 9th February, if you oughta catch up.
