"Lone Raph and Cub"
Written by Eric Luke
Original Air Date: October 18, 2003
Supervising Producer: Lloyd Goldfine
Producers: Gary Richardson, Frederick U. Fierst, Al Kahn, Norman Grossfeld, Thomas Kenney
Supervising Director: Chuck Patton
Story Editor: Lloyd Goldfine
MAJOR CHARACTERS:
Donatello (Sam Regal)
Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas)
Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson)
Raphael (Frank Frankson)
April (Veronica Taylor)
SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
Tyler
Tyler’s Mom
Mob Boss
Weasel
Various Mob Members
MAIN LOCATIONS, VEHICLES AND ACCESSORIES:
Sewer Lair
City streets and rooftops
Mob headquarters
Police station
Synopsis:
Intro: Raph is shielding a small boy from a group of mobsters. He prepares to fight, but explains to the boy that he can’t see, having been blinded.
Raphael is vigorously training and is obviously frustrated. The angry ninja stops his workout and expresses his desire to go out and look for the missing Master Splinter. Mike and Don tell Raph to cool it and April explains that she's been monitoring news and police reports for sightings of a giant rat, but her search has come up empty. Raphael can't stand the thought of sitting around waiting to hear news and wants to begin searching for their Sensei. Leo senses that arguing is futile, so he tells his agitated brother to go topside and blow off some steam - perhaps he'll find some clues. Raph gladly leaves the lair and heads for the rooftops.
After running on the rooftops a bit, Raph hops onto a passing truck and bus to make better time. The ninja spots a shadowy form that looks like Master Splinter, but when he touches it, it falls to the ground in a heap. It turns out to be a pile of trash that had resembled Splinter in the poor lighting. Raph yells in frustration and then renews his search of the rooftops. Shortly, the mutant notices some suspicious activity in the alley below. A group of mob thugs appear to be looking for something or someone. Raph also spies a young boy hiding in a dumpster.
Just when it appears the thugs will leave, the kid knocks some trash off of the dumpster that breaks on the ground, alerting the thugs to his whereabouts. The gangsters close in on the dumpster and yell to the boy to come out of hiding. Raphael can’t just let the thugs grab the kid, so he drops down to provide assistance. The hoodlums are surprised by the appearance of this strange looking intruder, but they decide to teach this busybody a lesson - or so they think! Raph proceeds to kick their butts, and rescue the kid. Weasel calls his boss on a cel phone and informs him the boy has escaped - with the help of a lone costumed freak. The mobster orders his minion to capture the boy, as a gang war is about to erupt now that the Shredder has been taken out of the picture.
Raphael tries to talk to the boy, but the child keeps punching him in the face. After taking a few too many blows to his snout, Raph loses his patience and grabs the boy's hand. The ninja then carries the boy to the local police station and orders him to go inside and seek help. The child reluctantly enters the building and Raph returns to the shadowed alleyway. Seconds later, the boy emerges from the building and runs off. He doesn't get too far when a green hand grabs him by the collar. Raph argues with the boy, who begins to cry. Seeing tears, Raphael softens and asks the boy what's going on.
The ninja learns that the kid's name is Tyler and that his Mom is an investigative reporter who had a tape containing some damaging info about a local crime boss. The reporter planned to use this evidence to become rich and famous. However, mobsters broke into the kid’s house last night and grabbed him and his Mom, hauling them off in a limousine. The gangsters were planning to rub out the reporter and her son, but the woman snuck the tape to the boy and told him to flee. As they were being removed from the car, Tyler kicked his kidnapper in the shin and escaped with the incriminating cassette. Since then he's been running from the mobsters - but he's determined to fight the criminals and save his mother.
Raph agrees to help the kid and they set off for the warehouse where the mobsters are holding Tyler’s Mom. Before they get to the warehouse, Raph and Tyler are jumped by a group of mobsters lead by a mob lieutenant named Weasel. During the fight, Weasel throws a flash grenade and Raphael is blinded. The ninja turns to Tyler for help and the two run for cover, with Tyler shouting directions to the blinded Turtle. They manage to elude the gangsters, but our heroes still need to rescue Tyler’s Mom. Raph develops a system whereby Tyler uses the positions of the hands on a clock to tell Raph where to attack. Feeling they now have at least some chance of defeating the mobsters, Raph and Tyler break into the warehouse and confront the mobsters.
No sooner do Raph and Tyler enter the building then they're meet by Weasel and his cronies. The gangster, knowing Raph has been blinded, thanks the Turtle for bringing Tyler right into their arms. Soon, the huge mob boss arrives, removes his coat and attacks Raphael. As the thug move in, Tyler starts shouting directions to Raph. “One o-clock, eleven o-clock, nine o-clock!” the boy yells, and Raph punches accordingly, sending the mobster flying. The boss orders the boy to be silenced, and Weasel grabs Tyler and covers his mouth - without directions, Raphael is an easy target for the villain, and he begins to lose the fight. Fortunately Tyler is able to bite Weasel's hand and free himself, quickly shouting out instructions that allow Raphael to win the fight against the criminal leader. Tyler then grabs Raph's hand and leads him behind some crates. The child tells the ninja to push over the boxes, which Raphael does - creating a huge roadblock that gives the pair time to complete their mission. Raph and Tyler track down the cel holding the boy’s Mom. Raphael tells Tyler that his mom probably shouldn't see a giant talking turtle and tells the kid that he'll have to lead his Mom to safety and take the tape to the police. Tyler worries about Raph in his blinded condition, but does as he’s told. The boy runs into the cell, hugs his mother, unties her and then the two make their escape.
The mobsters continue to dig through the rubble. Raph rubs his eyes and discovers that his sight has returned. The ninja moves around the fallen debris and sneaks up behind Weasel, tapping the annoying crook on the shoulder. The gangster turns and taunts the ninja, unaware that he can now see. Raph comments on the thug's ugly tie - and the villain realizes - too late - that his enemy is no longer blinded. Raphael grabs Weasel by the coat lapels and tosses him into the fallen crates and then departs.
At the police station, Tyler hands his mother the tape. The woman looks at it wistfully. Tyler looks up to the rooftop next door and sees Raphael, who gives him a thumbs up. Tyler's Mom tries to see what her son was looking at, but Raphael has disappeared. The boy then pushes his mother into the police station. With his good deed for the day finished, Raph runs off into the night.
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