| Rise of the Turtles, Part 1 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Original broadcast | September 29, 2012 |
| Season | One |
| Episode number | One |
| Written by | Joshua Sternin J.R. Ventimilia |
| Directed by | Michael Chang |
| Next episode | Rise of the Turtles, Part 2 |
Rise of the Turtles, Part 1 is the first episode of the first season.
Premise[]
The Turtles turn 15, and are now ready to go to "topside," where they discover real food, girls -- and the beginning of an alien invasion.
Synopsis[]
The "birth" of Splinter and the Turtles.
Deep under New York City, the Turtles are sparring in the lair; Leonardo against Michelangelo, and Raphael against Donatello. Leonardo and Raphael win their respective fights and then duel each other, with Raphael coming out the winner. Splinter says they all did very well, and humbles Raphael for gloating about his victories, by giving him a nerve pinch. Raph enthusiastically and quickly says how his brothers did a great job, which amuses Splinter a little.
Later, Splinter and the Turtles celebrate their Mutation Day over a meal of algae and worms, and Splinter (after pleads from Michelangelo) tells the story of how they became a family. One day while he was still human, he bought four baby turtles at a pet store. A strange man bumped him on the street, and sensing something "off" about him, decided to follow. He found the stranger exchanging a canister of mutagen with another strange man. Suddenly a rat screeched, giving away his position. The strange men attacked and a fight broke out, with the canister breaking in the process. Splinter and the four baby turtles mutated, and they kept the broken canister ever since.
After the story ends, Leonardo asks Splinter if they can go to the surface now that they're all fifteen. Splinter refuses at first, but after some more pleading he agrees to let them go that night.
Leo wants to be a leader like Captain Ryan from Space-Heroes.
Before going out, Leonardo watches his favorite show Space-Heroes, mimicking the characters' poses and dialogue exactly. Raphael makes fun of him, but Leonardo wants to be a great hero just like Captain Ryan from the show. Then Donatello and Michelangelo join them and they prepare to leave. Splinter sees them off with many words of caution, but especially warns them to stay away from people. Once on the surface, the Turtles are fascinated by the city. Soon they happen upon a pizza delivery boy.
The Turtles discover pizza.
Raphael scares him away, but a pizza box falls off his bike and lands on the ground. The group moves from the street to the rooftops where they are less exposed, taking the pizza with them out of curiosity. Michelangelo volunteers to taste the strange food first. Not only is it safe, it's delicious, and the turtles soon devour the whole thing.
The most beautiful (only) girl Donnie's ever seen.
After more roof hopping, Leonardo decides it's time they went home, but Donatello spots a teenage girl on the street with her father and is immediately smitten with her. Suddenly a van pulls up in front of the two humans and a lot of strange men approach them. Leonardo is reluctant to disobey Splinter's orders to stay away from people, but the other three go anyway and he is forced to follow. Just as the girl is about to get thrown into the van with her father, the Turtles come to her rescue, but they keep getting in each other's way during the fight. The girl is also just as scared of them as she is of her attackers.
Their first battle on the surface doesn't go so well.
Just when Donatello starts to gain her trust, Michelangelo accidentally hits him in the head with his nunchucks. Then they both get knocked down, the men take the girl, and the van drives off. Donatello chases after them with Leonardo and Raphael.
Kraangdroids kidnap the girl.
Michelangelo starts to follow them, but is confronted by one of the bad guys. When his nunchucks prove useless, he tries to run but ends up cornered in an alley. He swings blindly at his attacker with his kusarigama, and is shocked to find that the man is actually a robot with a brain-like alien in his torso. After a brief struggle with the alien, Michelangelo catches up with his brothers and tells them what he saw, but they don't believe him.
Things get weirder when one of the men reveals it's a robot with an alien blob inside.
The Turtles go home in shame, where Splinter scolds them for their failure to work together that let the bad guys get away. He decides they still aren't ready for the surface world and considers training them for another year, but Donatello objects that the innocent people who were kidnapped can't wait that long to be rescued. Splinter agrees that they must be saved, and says that in order to fight more effectively as a unit the Turtles need a leader. Leonardo volunteers for the role, but his brothers argue about it. Splinter chooses Leonardo, much to Raphael's frustration.
Another "mom?"
Back on the surface, Leonardo leads the group to stake out a building with the same logo that was on the kidnappers' van. He believes that one of the bad guys will show up for them to interrogate if they wait long enough. Two hours pass, and just as Raphael complains that they're wasting their time, the same van from before pulls up. As soon as the driver gets out the Turtles surround him, but he surprises them with a laser gun and drives off in the van. The Turtles take to the roofs and the chase is on.
Eventually Leonardo uses a throwing star to pop one of the van's tires, causing it to crash. When the Turtles get closer to investigate, a canister of ooze rolls out of the back of the van. They recognize it as the same kind that mutated them in the past.
Characters[]
Main characters:
- Turtles (first appearance; main story and flashback)
- Leonardo (first appearance; main story and flashback)
- Raphael (first appearance; main story and flashback)
- Michelangelo (first appearance; main story and flashback)
- Donatello (first appearance; main story and flashback)
Supporting characters:
- Splinter/Hamato Yoshi (first appearance; main story and flashback)
- April O'Neil (first appearance)
- Kirby O'Neil (first appearance)
Villains:
- The Kraang (first appearance; no lines)
- Norman Kraangenhoffers (first appearance; no lines; main story and flashback)
- Snake (first appearance, no lines)
Other characters:
- Captain Ryan (first appearance; TV screen)
- Mr. Crankshaw (first appearance; TV screen)
- Dr. Mindstrong (first appearance; no lines; TV screen)
- Tang Shen (first appearance; photograph; cameo)
- Miwa (first appearance; photograph; cameo)
Locations[]
- New York City (first appearance; main story and flashback)
- Turtles' lair (first appearance)
- Pet shop (only appearance; flashback only)
- Vlad's Repo Depot
- Kingfisher Jewelry (first appearance)
- Ziga's Auto Body (first appearance)
- Killer Cookie Fortune Cookie Co. (first appearance)
- Second Time About... (first appearance)
Objects[]
- Mutagen (first appearance; main story and flashback)
- TV (first appearance)
- From the Sewer (first appearance)
- Pizza (first appearance)
- Kraang guns (first appearance)
- Kraangdroid (first appearance)
Vehicles[]
- Dauntless (first appearance; TV screen)
- Kraangs' truck (first appearance)
Cast[]
| Jason Biggs | Leonardo |
|---|---|
| Sean Astin | Raphael |
| Greg Cipes | Michelangelo |
| Rob Paulsen | Donatello |
| Hoon Lee | Splinter |
| Mae Whitman | April O'Neil |
| Keith Silverstein | Kirby O'Neil |
| Nolan North | Man 1 Man 2 |
| Brian Bloom | Captain Ryan |
| Scott Menville | Mr. Crankshaw |
Notes/trivia[]
- Publishers, except for IDW Publishing, refer to this episode as Day One, Part One.
- Golden Books adapted this as Turtles to the Rescue on August 7, 2012.
- Random House Children's Books adapted this several times on August 7, 2012, in a variety of different levels, including Saved by the Shell! and Green Team!
- This episode was adapted into IDW Publishing's graphic novel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Animated, Volume 1: Rise of the Turtles on March 20, 2013. It is in the form of screen captures taken directly from the episode.
- This first part was also adapted by Random House Children's Books into Pizza Party! on June 24, 2014.
- Second Time About... is named after the Second Time Around store in the original 1980's comics from Mirage, which was the home and business of April.
Cultural references[]
- Space-Heroes is a parody of the original Star Trek series, particularly the Filmation cartoon that was based on it. Space Heroes is watched by Leo throughout season one.