Character Portrayals

[Sage Ninja]

Some times when you are watching the show are there times when you feel a little alienated by how a certain character acts or behaves in certain scenes or episodes? You know times when you think the writting isn't staying true to the character, or you just feel that a certain character is being OOC (out of Character).

Now I'm not saying that these little times are always bad because sometimes its fun to see a character act a little differently than how you noramally see them. or sometimes they are not even being that out of character and it is just the impression you got when you first so the episode.

Instances that gave me pause or weirded me out a bit by how a character was acting was in the Cousin Sid episode. When Raphael made a rather insencative remark to Leonardo, about needing karai to stab him more often. Now I know that is was a small remark, but any one else feel that remark was too inscentive even for Raphael. I felt that Rapahel was acting a little out of character at that moment. And that same episode seeing Donatello fight that bad guy in the barn all aggressively like was something I found out character to how he usually acts. it was actually a cool OOC moment because seeing pacifist Don fighting more aggresively was a treat.

Another instance was in the episode Hunted I think that was the name. Where Leatherhead has a nightmare and tries to hurt Mikey. And Leatherhead runs out crying thinking he killed him, and Mikey was faking the whole time! I didn't like how the writer wrote that scene. I think the writer took Mikey's nature for practical jokes to far and made him insencitive in that scene. Especially since orgianlly Mikey was so concerned for him.

Does any one else have moments in the series where they thought the portrayal of a character seemed diffrent from other times?

[BubblyShell22]

One big moment was any time Leo said, "It's Ninja Time!" That phrase doesn't suit Leo at all. Then again, that phrase doesn't suit any of them.

[Sage Ninja]

I don't think that can really count since it was part of a revamp the show was under going at the time. Personaly I thought all the characters where OOC in FF because they had been simplified.

Another moment that I thought was out of character was when all the boys where sent to the Dinosaur era and Dontello was getting attacked by a giant dinasour and he sneezes on it which scares it and it starts to run away. Donatello for some reason decides that was embarrassing and attacks it again    

I was like WTH? It's leaving you alone Donny why are you attacking it again!?

[BubblyShell22]

Well, I count it as an OOC moment because of the fact that I felt it was something Leo would definitely not say. I think another sort of OOC moment was when Leo cut Splinter.  Yeah, he was angry, and that's why he did it, but I felt that Leo would never do that to his sensei no matter how mad he would get. While it didn't bother me, I did feel that he went a litte too far, though I did want to give him a big hug anyway, since he's my fave.

[Kismet]

I try to take it all (with the exception of FF) with a grain of salt. When something seems out of character in the newtoon, I can usually see how it would be in character if it were the comic books. Which the newtoon seems to be loosly based off of.

Though, I do have to agree with you about Don and the Dino, Sageninja. I was quite bewildered.

But a comment about Mike faking the unconsciousness bit: I don't think he was. The way it always comes across to me, is that he was really knocked out. Then he came to while Raph was kneeling by him, so Mike was just acting the last few moments to get a rise out of Raph. He had no idea what had occurred just a minute before, because he genuinely was knocked out. He didn't even know that LH had run off like that, until he was told.

[Sage Ninja]

But a comment about Mike faking the unconsciousness bit: I don't think he was. The way it always comes across to me, is that he was really knocked out. Then he came to while Raph was kneeling by him, so Mike was just acting the last few moments to get a rise out of Raph. He had no idea what had occurred just a minute before, because he genuinely was knocked out. He didn't even know that LH had run off like that, until he was told.

I might have to watch that scene again really closely one more time. But my first impression of that scene came off as Mikey was pretending to be nocked senceless. I don't rember what, but Mikey made a comment when Raphael picked him up that suggested that he was "all there" when Leatherhead was still in the room and had over heard what he had said. Which means he had to of been conscince to have heard it and still didn't rous him self to show that he was not hurt. I was going WTF at that scene.

Another occ moment, even though he deserved it, was Splinter tottally leaveing Mikey hanging when he got challenged to the re-match in the episode Grudge Match. I mean I would expect that from Don and Raph, but I wouldn't expect that sort of pettiness from Splinter. I thought that after teaching him a lesson a little he would give in and lend him a hand. But he never did. Not even a word of encouragement. Which you might have seen from him even if he saw that the training portion was getting taken cared of by Leo. I was alittle supriced at how there was no sign of forgivenss on Splinter's part toward Mikey, even if he was a bit disrespectful to him.

[Kismet]

All that I recall Mike saying was "It's a good thing you didn't have to give me mouth to mouth." Then afterward, Mike wanted to know what happened to LH, and I believe it's Don that said "I think he thinks that you..." "oh...we have to find him!"

[Sage Ninja]

When I first saw tyhis I thought the "he" that Mikey was refereing to was Leather Head which made me think he had been conscince when Leather Head was ranting away about hurting him, or maybe it was Raph    Now I'm not so sure. Here is the scene in particular that I was talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoLvs_6VLqE

the scene where Leather Head is freaking out over a catatonic Mikey starts at 6:01.

Now, this next one isn't exactly a out of character moment since he has been been written this way for a while now. But I've been a litte upset at how Casey Jones has been portrayed as a bubbling goof in the New Toon. I would have liked it better if he had been portayed as a slick street wise tough guy, like he was supposed to be represented in first season. I don't know it just seems like the writters sort of lost touch with what Casey's character is supposed to be about and sort of degenerated him into a comedic character that I really can't take seriously as a tough guy. They started out pretty well like in the Meet Casey Jones and the Shredder Strikes Back episoides, but I notice that the writters can't help resisting making him do something goofy that sort of spoil the effect. Does any one feel the way I do?

[Kismet]

I feel that way about Casey's Newtoon portrayal as well. Now Casey gets out of hand, a little crazy at times, and is sometimes the butt of a joke. But he's not a bumbling, incompetent idiot. I much prefer comic Case to the new cartoon version.

[Sage Ninja]

I sort of felt the same way about April as well at first, frankly I found her a bit annoying especially with how she's act toward Casey. There where times I thought she was a bit of a shrew. there where also times that I thought she was too perfect and caught on to things to quickly that I thought should take a normal person a harder time to catch on. Like her ninjitsu training, suddenly she is able to do all these fancy leaps and jumps just like the TMNT.

Another moment that I thought was OOC was an instance in a Fast Forward episode The Journal with Splinter. Now I know Splinter has a bit of a diabolical sence of humour when it comes to teasing his sons but I thought that this episode took Splinter's little mean streak a bit to far. Especially with the story he wrote about Leonardo getting kicked out of the tribunal because of Karai   I thought that was wicked messed up considering Leo's complicated past with her and the agnst-fest he went through particially because of Karai. I was like geez, Splinter that was pretty harsh!

[BubblyShell22]

Yeah, that was harsh, but the Turtles found out all that wasn't true. Plus, Splinter knows Leo's angsty mood was partly about Karai and mostly about his failure to not have his family off themselves. I think Splinter knew this and knew that this wouldn't happen, especially with Karai redeeming herself. And maybe he did that story to teach his son a lesson about trust. That could be what he wanted to do.

[Dejablue]

Hm...the Donatello and Dino thing.  My theory. He didn't want to look bad in front of Renet! XD  The presence of the opposite sex can make people act out of character.

[Sage Ninja]

Yeah, that was harsh, but the Turtles found out all that wasn't true. Plus, Splinter knows Leo's angsty mood was partly about Karai and mostly about his failure to not have his family off themselves. I think Splinter knew this and knew that this wouldn't happen, especially with Karai redeeming herself. And maybe he did that story to teach his son a lesson about trust. That could be what he wanted to do.

I know that ultimitely Splinter's motives are always to help out the turtles and guide them, and he doesn't mind letting the turtles learn things the hard way and learn harsh lessons when they act out or get to full of them selves. Like with Leonardo when he sent him to the ancient one when he got all angnsty, and he was constantly being humbled and humilated by the Anceint one and his "tricks". Or when Splinter decided to let Mikey deal on his own, the consequences of his boastful behavior wouldn't help him when his battle nexus win came back to bite him., and rubbed his face in it just like Don and Raph did. In fact Splinter some times appears quite gleeful when he "teaching his sons a lesson". But the whole thing with Leonardo getting kicked out by the tribunal because of Karai was a bit much even for Splinter. I would think that given the turmoil Leo went through partly due to Karai, I was supriced that Splinter went there.

Hm...the Donatello and Dino thing. My theory. He didn't want to look bad in front of Renet! XD The presence of the opposite sex can make people act out of character

I...don't think so. Donatello may be the most generous toward girls in this medium but even that seems to out there for the calm and collected level headed Donatello to worry about. Plus it seems awfully trivial, for him to worry about loooking good in front of Renent since the Dino leaving ment their lives not being threatened any more. Which is something I would have normally thought would concern Donatello more. Some have theorized that Don's actions may have had something to do with his infection to the bug that scratched him, and that due to that it was impairing his judgment. Which all seems plossiable but if the mutation thing was really the cause I would think that there would have been a follow up of more instances of Don using poor judgment and acting out. hmm.