*SPOILER* "Ninja Tribunal" *SPOILER*

[Raphael]

Well, folks, this is it. The last episode of the season, and what a season it's been! I know I usually do this up after the ep airs, but I figured I'd get it done now.

In the 4Kids Show we will be posting spoilers about the show. From our favorite scenes, to what happened to what characters and what mistakes did you catch in the show? So if you're not one for spoilers and have not seen this one yet, Don't read it.

There will be spoilers here, naturally, and who knows what else?   Can't wait to see the episode and can't wait to see the discussion!

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This'll be the last one of these for a bit, so I'll say it now.... So talk!

[Raphael]

Ok, my initial thoughts at the end of the episode were along the lines of....

They're leading up to something really cool here, why are they throwing this 'future' storyline into the mix?  Ok, I'm not the script writer, and I can't imagine they're just going to throw the future bit in for no reason...but it just seems like the storyline is headed into something potentially interesting. I really hope the future arc fits in and moves the plot forward, rather than being just a ratings grab/toy seller.

Now, having said that...Raph didn't say "Whoa" when he was supposed to! And those weren't boxers, they didn't have leg holes, it was more of a skirt!  

All in all, a good season finale (not great, but definitely on the high scale of good). To me, it seemed more that its purpose was to set up the future eps, rather than wrap up the season that was, which is fine. It definitely left things open for much discussion...

...the great evil, obviously the 'true' Shredder. Possibly his return will be the trigger that forces the Future story arc? The turtles get sent to the future to show them what will happen if they don't defeat this great evil?
...Splinter & the Ancient One knew this was coming? For someone that is supposed to be so smart and all knowing, the Ancient One needs to work on his timing.
...is Donnie's leg still hurt or not? The bandages disappeared at the end of the Savanti storyline, reappeared for his mutation (and who didn't feel bad for him when he apologized for trying to eat Mike's leg?), then disappeared again during the rooftop fight.
...how many New Yorkers were woken up by the sounds of 4 Ninja Turtles playing "Monster" on the roof? Way to be ninja, guys!
...how is Karai going to feel about there being another Shredder on the block? Will we ever see a final showdown between her & Leo?
...more things that I can't think of right now *G*

And, most important of all,

...how many members should a "TRIbunal" really have?

[OnnaRaphael]

This episode left me with a whole load of "huh?"  Honestly though I only saw the last half so I'll have to go back and watch it from the beginning.  I don't think that'll help though.  *L*

I'm not sure how I feel about the episode as far as "good or bad" goes but I wish they'd wrapped up the season a little differently.  Call me boring but I'd have loved to see a little mini "happy ending" before the next season.

[cynlee]

I could so get behind this episode if there was going to be RESOLUTION AND CONTINUATION!!!

Stupid 4Kids!

[Jade Princess]

I wish I could say rather or not I thought this episode was good or not, but I can't. During the first commercial break the TV went all screwy and I missed about 15 minutes of the show. Whats worst is it finally came back on during the last 2 minutes.    You all have no idea how angry I am right now. Does anyone have any idea when this ep will be coming to DVD or when CN or 4kids will repeat it.  I really don't want to wait until September or October when (or if) it's replayed a week before the season premire (since next season is going to be Fast Foward)

[moronqueen]

...how many members should a "TRIbunal" really have?

I say 41.5. Brent says 6. I dunno, how many should there be? *G*

It was deffinately a cliff-hanger..the playing "monster" thing, though...ummmmmmmmmmm...I can  believe the guys get goofy once in a while, but y'know...that's kinda...wrong. That's really wrong, actually...didn't really like it. *shrugs*

It was an interesting ep...can't wait to see what comes next, though.

[Mindy]

Aww, the "Monster RARRR!" thing was a bit goofy, but with all the crap they go through, I suppose cutting loose and acting silly can be forgiven this time .

Nice episode. I haven't seen too much of the Ancient One, save for a couple of eps, and I agree with Raph-- wonderful timing, dude   .  All in all, pretty well paced for... 20 minutes since there are so many darn commercials. @_@;

Reruns are good for me-- I haven't seen all of the episodes.

[Dark Angel]

This entire episode was left on a cliff hanger and a big time,"what the? what just happened?"

I liked the begining, everyone caryong for Don then going out and having fun. The fight was intersting but the rest left me confused. I don't get what the new people where about & why the ancient 1 was there, plus Splinter should be with the turtles right?

When do the new episodes start again?

[cynlee]

This entire episode was left on a cliff hanger and a big time,"what the? what just happened?"

I liked the begining, everyone caryong for Don then going out and having fun. The fight was intersting but the rest left me confused. I don't get what the new people where about & why the ancient 1 was there, plus Splinter should be with the turtles right?

When do the new episodes start again?

September- the first I think-- and the entire ep was to set up the ORIGINALLY planned season five where they become sort of mystic warriors or such and they have to battle the "True Shredder"--- but 4Kids changed all that, citing the ever ambiguous excuse of "Ratings" and so we're to have "Fast Forward" for season five-- where the turtles are accidently sent 99 years into the future to fight along side some grandson or greatgrandson of Casey and April's, and they meet new villains, and a "new" Splinter, and "dark Turtles" and other stuff......

         

[Leonardo]

Interesting....

I agreed that on one hand, the rooftop stuff was funny. Don "changing into a monster" and chasing Mikey.
But on the other hand, yeah...uh...remember the ninja-thing??
On the other hand, you get to go run around with friends after a time cooped up or unable to go hang out and yeah, sometimes you get loud and rowdy. Sometimes without realizing how loud you are carrying on.
So I am mixed on my thoughts on that.

Don's disappearing bandage? I am guessing he must have ripped it off before heading out? If they go through the detail of still having Leo's shell with the scar on it, then why not Don with his thigh wrap?
I did get a laugh out of them babying Don, and moving the couch around with him still on it.

The story clearly took a little bit of a Mortal Kombat turn (especially the ship), with a twist.
I noticed the symbol in the background of the "Shredders" was the same as the Foot only turned the other way.
I wonder what the connection to Saki as Shredder there is to these beings. I am thinking he probably twisted  whatever they stand for.

And I have to wonder what the Ancient One wanted to prevent, and why? If the idea is they are going to stop a great evil, and if they are capable of doing it, that's a bad thing?
Or had he intended to instruct them on what they needed to do? Hmm....

Which leads to, I agree with the thought that this also was and was not the feeling of a Season Finale.
It left on a quiet note, instead of a tension filled moment. And as mentioned by others, we're not sure what we're going to get, in terms of seeing the next episodes, so what good is seeing an episode with all of this story build up? Especially if they are in some sort of "Japan" but then they're going to be Fast Forwarded?

Guess we'll just have to sit back, relax, drink some tea and eat some mochi and wait.
((
c[_] oo

 

[TurtleTitanMusician]

And those weren't boxers, they didn't have leg holes, it was more of a skirt!  

Thank goodness Mikey didn't try on the skirt, or the Turtles may have sent him over to Jerry Springer for being a  cross-dresser!

[Lisardo]

Decent ep, I liked the beginning alot.  Mikey cracked me up!  Then when Don pretended to turn into a monster and chase him I liked when Mikey started doing his girlie screams again, heh!  Those wooden warriors reminded me alot of the Nazgul in LOTR.  Not sure who the mysterious 'Shredders' were or what this big fight they were being prepared for was about.  I was fairly confused by the end of the ep too.  They were saying that next week there was an ep, and I believe that is the true season finale.  Funny how it was never mentioned beforehand.  I wish 4Kids would make up it's darn mind!  

[Michaelangelo]

Next week is not a new epsiode that goes back to "Cousin Sid" the first episoide of this season.

I'm afraid that this episiode may not get the wrap up that everyone is asking questions about... because of 4Kids TV.. or Warner Bros or who ever.  I've heard many reasons that the true season 5 will not be aired.  Now comes the real question...  how are they going to handle this.  It's clear that we now except something, and it's about to not happen.  "Fast Forward" was written to follow Season 5, so how many inside things are going to be mentioned that we won't even get to see.

I don't think rating would be one of the things that got Season 5 turned into "Fast Forward" from what I understand it's got an underlineing of problems, but I'd have to confirm which ones.  As I've mentioned in other topics it's called The Short Season  There's only half the amount of episoides in it, so it's like only 13 episoides long.   From some friends who work for 4Kids (won't say who for their own protection, never know who's reading this)... I was told that the reasons that season 5 is not being aired is because there's too many "To be conituned" episoides, it's like a very HUGE episoide... though I dout that would be the only reason, seeing as how many series live like that, like Dragon Ball Z, even there own Sonic X should be back to back to see what's going on, ect.  The other reason that I heard about a month or so ago is that it's not airing because it's too 'Dark'.    Now that makes sense, we already lost one episoide because it was to 'dark' and we saw how that affected the series... the guys talking about something we never saw.... "Baxter I thought you were dead"  when all we saw was Baxter being brought back to life.

The Short season will hopefully at least go to DVD.   When I asked Peter about it, he says he still wants to see it aired on TV.   So what is going to happen with it?  Will it become a little Summer TV pick up instead of waiting all the way for Fall shows?    Or is it going to be a DVD release of the full season?    Or are we going to go without it for a bit with question marks in it's place....


I can't say what I really think of this episoide yet, going to have to go to Shadow Wolf's and catch her Tivo of it, I slepted through my alarm   I came in when they talked with the four new guys and found out they were on the same side and decided to search the place from there.

[Leonardo]

Those wooden warriors reminded me alot of the Nazgul in LOTR.

There was a bit of that feeling. Being approached by very tall, ominous appearing mysterious beings.
And of course, when you're watching the opening and see Leo slice apart the face mask and into the block of wood, that's rather unique. You know you're in for a weird kind of an episode.
But Mikey and the "chuk-off" with his wooden warrior was funny. What a show off Mikey is!  
And when they waited for Raph to pick up his dropped sai, or Leo to reclaim his sword, you knew there was something way weird about them, too.

As for the discussions on episodes to come that we hear won't be shown on TV....
If they at least release them on DVD!! Then who cares if it is "one HUGE episode"? Just give it to us!!

With the popularity of anime these days, I believe more viewers are able to handle the concept of extended storylines over multiple episodes, and enjoy that kind of presentation. (Especially as this Toon clearly gets adult viewers, too, even though I think the big companies don't want to acknowledge that fact too much because of where they want their advertising revenue to come from--they have to say they fit a certain age niche for the marketing plans.)  
This is like the same argument used against Farscape some years ago. One of SciFi channel's arguments for dropping the show was that supposedly the mainstream viewers (as opposed to the serious fans of the shows which "don't count" because that level of fan doesn't make up the bulk of the numbers blah blah blah) don't want to deal with shows that contain content you need to have seen in order or seen all of them to know. They want to "dumb" everything down into bite-size morsels, all neat and self-contained in every episode.     Also, they want to make it easier for running re-runs they can then show in any random order.
<sigh>

Anyway, back to the tea and cookies, mochi, rice crackers, pizza or anything else that is good with tea.
We may have to wait a while to find out what we will be able to see in what way....

 

[Lisardo]

Oh yeah, that whole Mikey-chucking thing reminded me of the movie!  'Cept this time Mikey was beaten!  And there was no, "Keep practicing!"  

Also can someone please explain this 'lost episodes' or 'lost season 5' thing a little more in depth.  Cuz ppl on NTML were mentioning it too and I got sorta confused.  Ivey did explain some tho.

I don't understand why they made eps and don't air them cuz they are 'too dark'.  Why did they make them then?  I've never heard of a show doing that.  Usually I'd think that sorta thing is determined in the pre-planning stages like the storyboard and script-writing stage.....no?  At that point usually the network or whoever will say, "No that's too dark, or that won't work.  Let's scrap that idea."  I do hope they will at least release them on dvd and let us know about it when they do.  Plus the fact that 4Kids is annoyingly showing the eps out of order.  Or at least somewhat they are.  ???

I know with a continuous 'long ep' that many shows do that.  I was thinking more of the 90s Spiderman on FOX.  Several seasons did that continueous 'long episode' thing and if you didn't watch the whole season the whole way thru, you'd be totally lost!  That's what one person summarized about it: A good show but easy to get lost unless you watch the entire show, or season at least.  So IMO that's not a good enuff excuse for them not to air this mysterous lost season 5.  Unless it is too dark as you say, but then that leads back to what I said earlier: Why bother making the eps then?  Sorry, don't mean to sound too cynical here or act like I know it all, cuz I don't know everything that's going on.  And I'm not meaning to complain it just seems odd to me.  

About next week's ep, I did go back and rewatch the next week's preview.  And now that you mention it maybe it is a replay of 'Cousin Sid' then.  I can't tell.