Heroes in a Half Shell
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Heroes in a Half Shell is a 5 episode story arc from the 1987 Ninja Turtles Animated Series. It is actually the first season of the show. The episodes it contains are Turtle Tracks, Enter the Shredder, A Thing About Rats, Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X, & Shredder & Splintered.
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[edit] Turtle Tracks
As the dusk arrives in New York City, news reporter April O'Neil is broadcasting for Channel 6 News about crimes. She has an assignment to deliver a news report on mysterious thefts of high-tech scientific equipment from various laboratories across the city. During the investigation, she learns that the thieves are ninjas. She goes with her film crew to stake out a scientific laboratory that she believes to be the site of a potential destination ... only to be seized by a street gang. April's film crew panics and exits the scene. April O'Neal makes a run for the canister and slips it into the sewers and is chased by the thug mob under the streets of New York City through an intricate maze of sewer tunnels.
Down in the sewers, the street gang members prepare to attack April, when four big talking turtles arrive and help April by defeating the street gang members.
The turtles bring April back to sewer their lair where she meets a giant talking rat, who tell April who they are:
"In Japan, there was a ninja clan known as the Foot Clan, led by a man named Hamato Yoshi. Hamato Yoshi liked art. One of his pupils, Oroku Saki, planned to take over the leadership of the Foot Clan. One day, a sensei visited the Foot Clan's dojo. The Foot Clan members sat near a wall to bow for the sensei, when Oroku Saki put a knife to attach Hamato Yoshi's clothes in the wall. To bow for the sensei, Hamato Yoshi now first had to remove the knife. This caused the others who were in the dojo that time to think that Hamato Yoshi tried to kill the sensei. Hamato Yoshi was banned from the Foot Clan. Hamato Yoshi fled to the USA, where he was an illegal immigrant. Hamato Yoshi lived in the New York City sewer system. His only friends became the rats. One day, a small child was walking on a street with a bowl with four turtles. The boy accidentally tripped and fell, causing the bowl to crash on the street and the turtles to fall into a sewers. Hamato Yoshi made the turtles his new friends.
Meanwhile, back in Japan, the Foot Clan became a criminal gang led by Oroku Saki.
Back in the USA, Hamato Yoshi one day found the turtles covered with in "goo", which was a "mutagen" that "caused whoever touched it to take on the form of whatever animal they most recently had been in contact with." The turtles become humanized turtles, because of their recent contact with Hamato Yoshi who tried to clean them up. Hamato Yoshi was transformed into a rat because of his recent contact with the rats. When the rat says this, April realizes that the rat is Hamato Yoshi.
Hamato Yoshi tells April how they got their names. The turtles gave Hamato Yoshi the nickname "Splinter" because of his "martial artistry", and Splinter gave the turtles names of four favorite Renaissance painters: Donatello, Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Raphael. Together, the turtles called themselves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).
In a world where many people fear the different, Splinter trained the turtles in the ancient art of ninjutsu and they decided to find the person responsible for Splinters "mutation" and force the responsible person to turn Splinter back into human again.
For a short while, April believes that the TMNT are not the thieves. However, the TMNT and April strike a deal. The TMNT will help April find the real thieves and get her story, while April to help them find the source of the "mutagen" and don't tell the world about the turtles.
The TMNT and April walk up on the city streets with a matchbook that was left behind at the fight between the turtles and the street gang members. When everyone notices the TMNT, April goes to a clothes store and buy trenchcoats and fedoras so the TMNT can disguish themselves as humans. Then they go to a "Ninja Pizzeria", in hope to learn more about the thefts. While the TMNT eat pizza, April scouts the neighborhood and finds a building with a sign attached to it that says "Manhattan Security Services". April enters the lobby and hears the receptionist dispatch a "security team" to another scientific equipment lab that is "just waiting to be cleaned out". April goes to a nearby telephone booth and calls Channel 6 to tell that she found the thieves, only to be abducted.
Meanwhile, the TMNT begin to worry for April and go out in search for her. They find her wallet and her press pass. They also see her purse hanging on the roof of an abandoned tenement building. The TMNT rush towards the top of the building, where April is tied to a chair. The TMNT are attacked by a group of "ninjas", but they soon lern that the "ninjas" are robots.
Oroku Saki, who watches the scene via remote controlled cameras, recognizes the fighting style of the TMNT, which is the Foot Clan's techniqes. Oroku Saki wonders if Hamato Yoshi is still alive.
The TMNT destroy the robots, save April and chase the robots from the roof of the building over to the roof of the nearby building, which is Manhattan Security Services. The robots escape, and April and the TMNT are watched by Oroku Saki via his closed circuit camera system. Now, more than ever, he is convinced that the TMNT have been trained by Hamato Yoshi. Oroku Saki calls back his "Foot Soldiers" to retreat to the Technodrome, but first they flood the building by activating the fire sprinkler. April and the TMNT run to the rooftop of the building as the water inside the building goes higher and higher. They escape from the rooftop just before the building explodes from the water pressure.
Back down in the TMNT's sewer lair, Splinter watches the uniform of one of the robotic ninjas. After studying it, Splinter is convinced that it is the uniform of the Foot Clan and that his old enemy, Oroku Saki, is still alive and also nearby.
[edit] Enter the Shredder
Oroku Saki, who is commandeering the Technodrome in its escape under New York City and is furious that his "mighty Foot Soldiers were defeated by a bunch of Turtles," is summoned to the bowels of the Technodrome by Krang. Krang, a gelatinous creature that looks like a talking brain, is likewise upset that Oroku Saki, despite the vast technical knowledge that Krang has provided for him, has been unable to provide the evil alien with a body so that he may "lead his legion of followers out of Dimension X and into this world to crush it."
Krang then suggests that when Oroku Saki tried to destroy Hamato Yoshi with the Mutagen it in fact made him stronger because of his contact with the rats. Oroku Saki picks up on this line of thought and realizes that if he were to expose his own thugs to the Mutagen, along with wild animals, he could then defeat Yoshi and the Turtles.
Back at the Lair, Splinter is convinced that his old enemy, Oroku Saki, is the mastermind behind the Robotic Ninjas and offers his help in tracking down the Technodrome.
Within the Technodrome, Oroku Saki "convinces" two street gang members, Bebop and Rocksteady, to undergo an experiment that will enable them to get even with the Turtles. This experiment involves the Mutagen and the stolen rhino and warthog from the city zoo. A robot was sent out to steal the animals.
Splinter is captured by Oroku Saki after trying to track down the Technodrome, and the Turtles soon attempt to rescue him. After a series of obstacles (closing walls and psycho robots) the Turtles find Splinter strung up from the rafters within a cavernous room. As they prepare to cut him down, Oroku Saki enters, accompanied by four of his Foot robots. He tells the TMNT that Hamato Yoshi knows him as Oroku Saki, but they can call him "The Shredder". He congratulates the Turtles on their prowess and suggest that they join his Foot Clan. He also suggests that they "owe everything to him," because by using the Mutagen (in an effort to destroy Hamato Yoshi), he mutated the Turtles. When the Turtles refuse, Shredder summons the mutated Bebop (warthog) and Rocksteady (rhino), who are easily defeated along with the four Foot robots. The Turtles cut Splinter down and return to the city surface only to have Bebop and Rocksteady burst through the street, with laser rifles blasting. Once more the Turtles defeat them, this time by leading them into the city zoo and entrapping them in a cage. April will not let the turtles out of her sight until she gets the whole story. later the unicycles free bebop and rocksteady saying shredder wants to see them and they would rather be in their cage.
[edit] A Thing About Rats
In the New York City sewers, Splinter rests/recovers from his confrontation with The Shredder inside the Technodrome (which happened in the last episode). The turtles search the underground to find the Technodrome and to force the Shredder to transform Splinter back into human.
Deep under New York City, the Shredder takes a transport module (not the kind of transport modules shown during later seasons) from the Technodrome to the surface. When arriving in a deserted mansion, he sends away remote controled flying bug cameras in search for scientific research.
In another part of the city, scientist Dr. Baxter Stockman tries to convince the Ajax Pest Control company to invest in Baxter Stockman's new invention, the mousers. The mousers are robots made to catch rats. Baxter Stockman shows by putting a rat into through a small labyrinth in search of cheese, and the rat is found by the "mouser".
The President of the Ajax Pest Control company sends out Baxter Stockman from the building, saying that the mousers would cause unemployment among the pest control companies. But the Shredders bug cameras taped the incident, and later the Shredder arrives and asks Baxter Stockman if they can work together.
While the turtles continue their search for the Technodrome, the Shredder and Baxter Stockman return to the deserted mansion. The Shredder orders Baxter Stockman to create a master control device to control all the mousers that he plans to build in the dawn.
The Shredder returns down to the Technodrome and begins to mass produce mousers. But Krang is angry because he wants the Shredder to provide him with a "body". The Shredder says that the turtles are a bigger problem just no, but Krang says that if he had a body, it should not be a problem. The Shredder walks away, but Krang says that he wants to see the Shredder fail again and again until he gives Krang a "body".
The Shredder sends out twelve mousers to seek out and destroy Splinter.
When Splinter is recovered, April O'Neil returns home to her own apartment. While Splinter meditates in the sewers, he is attacked by mousers. He has a feeling that it is the Shredder who is sending the machines. With his martial arts skills, Splinter is able to destroy one by one, but he is outnumbered against many of them. When it seems hopless for Splinter, the turtles had sensed that he is in a danger decided to go back to the sewers, return and see that Splinter is in trouble. The turtles help Splinter to destroy the mousers, and on every mouser, they found the text "Baxter Stockman, Inventor" . They also believe that Shredder is behind this and decide to search for him. The turtles and Splinter go to April's apartment to get more information about Baxter Stockman. April uses her computer to get Baxter Stockmans name with a photograph and an address. Splinter stays at April while the turtles begin their search for Baxter Stockman.
When Baxter Stockman has built the master control device and walks home, the Shredder sends some Foot robots to follow Baxter Stockman home, because Shredder fears that Baxter Stockman "knows to much". Just a later, the Shredder sends away 1,200 Mousers to seek out and destroy Splinter, the turtles and April.
When Baxter Stockman comes home, the Shredders Foot robots arrive. But suddenly, the turtles arrive and destroy the Foot robots. The turtles tie Baxter Stockman to a nearby street light lamp post and Raphael convince Baxer Stockman to say where the Shredder is. Baxter tells them his story. Realizing that the "deserted mansion" is on the other side of town, and with no time to lose, the Turtles "borrow" Stockman's van and drive to the deserted mansion.
Suddenly, the turtles realize how easy the mousers cand find Splinter, and head back to April's apartment. When the turtles arrive, they find April and Splinter using kitchen utensils to fight for their lives against the arriving mousers. The TMNT, April and Splinter all escape the apartment just as the building collapses as a result of the mousers destruction.
Later, the turtles, Splinter and April arrive at the deserted mansion. Donatello tries to use the remote control in Baxter Stockman's to try to control the Mousers, but the master control device that the Shredder controls is stronger. Instead, Michaelangelo sneaks inside the mansion to turn off the master control device. But the Shredder captures Michaelangelo and ties the turtle to a chair. The Shredder recalls all the mousers to attack the other turtles, Splinter and April, who all are waiting outside.
But inside the deserted mansion Krang rescues Michaelangelo and tells him to go to the room above and save his friends, who are in danger, by destroying the master control device. Michaelangelo runs up, and encounters the Shredder and fools the Shredder to fire his rifle against Michaelangelo. Michaelangelo jumps away, and the shots fired by the Shredder destroy the master control device.
This makes it possible for Donatello to re-program the mousers with Baxter Stockman's hand control device to destroy the deserted mansion. But the gas pipe at the building is hit, and the building begins to explode. The Shredder and Krang escape in the transport module. The turtles find Michaelangelos toe behind a part of what ones was the building, and they think that Michaelangelos is dead until he says that he loves playing the game hide and seek.
The turtles discover a hole and look down finding the Technodrome gone. Michaelangelo tells the turtles about Krang, but the others don't believe him.
[edit] Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X
When Baxter Stockman has been arrested, the turtles and April O'Neil go to his old workshop to take his van and re-build it and use it to find the Technodrome. The workshop is on the highest floor in its building, they first have to push the van upstairs to take it to the workshop.
Meanwhile inside the Technodrome, under New York City, Krang reminds The Shredder that Shredder once again failed to destroy the TMNT, and Krang demands a "body". Krang mentions about Dimension X, which gives Shredder an idea to get new weapons from Dimension X to destroy the turtles and Splinter. When Krang warns Shredder not to open the recently completed "Transdimensional Portal" to Dimension X for fear of what might come through, Shredder does not listen.
The turtles and April have re-built Baxter Stockman's van into the "Turtle Van". It has modern equipment to help the turtles to track Shredder and the Technodrome. As they leave the workshop, drive the van downstairs and out into the street.
Back in the Technodrome, Shredder pushes the bottoms to open the Transdimensional Portal to Dimension X. As the Transdimensional Portal opens, three teenage Neutrinos in flying cars come through, chased by a flying jeep piloted by two of Krang's Stone Warriors, General Trag and Lieutenant Granitor. Bebop and Rocksteady use their guns to fire upon the Stone Warriors. The Neutrinos blow a hole on the Technodrome and escape, but the Stone Warriors crash and the Shredder asks them if they work for Krang, and they tell him that they do so. Bebop and Rocksteady stop fire upon the Stone Warriors. The Stone Warriors countiniue to chase the Neutrinos.
When the turtles and April drive in the city, the Turtles have tracked the Technodrome. It is under the World Trade Center. Suddenly, the Neutrinos arrive through a subway station. The turtles and April believe that this has to do with Shredder, and they begin to pursue the neutrinos.
The two Stone Warriors continue to pursuit the Neutrinos inside the Technodrome and meet Krang without a body. When Krang learns that his Stone Warriors are pursing the Neutrinos, Krang blames the Shredder for the neutrinos arrival on Earth, and say that the Neutrinos are juvenile delinquents from Dimension X who hate war and love fun.
The turtles and April continue their pursuit of the Neutrinos while Shredder tell the Stone Warriors that they can use a Techno-Rover in their chase of the Neutrinos.
Meanwhile on the street of New York City, the turtles use the catapult on the Turtle Van to jump op and capture the Neutrinos and force them to go down to the streets. After talking, the turtles learn that the Neutrinos not work for the Shredder. They go to CLOWN TIME FOOD AND GAMES EMPORIUM to eat pizza and play arcade games. The Neutrinos talk about the war in Dimnesion X. April is worried about what can come from Dimension X, when the building is leveled by a missile attack from the Stone Warriors. The turtles jump inside the Turtle Van the neutrinos jump into the flying cars. The neutrinos shoot their laser guns towards Stone Warriors. Leonardo uses his katana swords from the opened car window to destroy the wheels at the Techno-Rover. This allows the turtles, April and the Neutrinos to escape before the police arrive. The Stone Warriors retreat back to the Technodrome, but first they release a "weather satellite", with one difference: while other weather satellite gives weather prognosis, this one "makes weather". Within two hours time, the "weather satellite" will create a storm that will level the city.
Back in the turtles sewer lair, the Neutrinos tell Splinter about Krang and the Stone Warriors. They say that Krang was banished from Dimension X, lost his body and is now just a brain. Splinter and the turtles conclude that this is the same brain that Michaelangelo encountered when they defeated Baxter Stockmans mousers. Splinter also ow realizes where Shredder has been getting his advanced technology: Dimension X. He fears that Krang will bring his Stone Warriors to Earth. The Neutrinos and the Turtles agree to team-up in an effort to send Krang and the Stone Warriors back to Dimension X.
Up on the streets, it's snowing in June. The Neutrinos suspect that it is the result of Krangs "weather satellite," and they, together with the turtles and April, go back to the Technodrome. When arriving in the Technodrome, they find the Transdimensional Portal. Donatello and Leonardo stay near the Transdimensional Portal and Michaelangelo, Raphael and the Neutrinos search for Krang. Before Donatello and Leonardo can figure out how to open the operate the Transdimensional Portal, Bebop, Rocksteady and some Foot robots arrive.
Meanwhile, the Stone Warriors are shooting at Michaelangelo, Raphael and the Neutrinos, who are riding in the Neutrino's flying car. The turtles later destroy the Foot robots, defeat Bebop and Rocksteady, and send the Stone Warriors back to Dimension X. The neutrinos then go home to Dimension X, but leave one of their flying cars (star mobile) to the turtles. But before the Shredder can confront Shredder, they become distracted by the effects of Krangs "weather satellite" outside/upside. When the turtles return their attention back to Shredder, he is gone. Insteady, the turtles to go back up to the surface and save the city, and decide to get their revenge on Shredder for another time.
Up on the streets, the "weather satellite" is to destroy the city. The turtles use the star mobile to fly near the "weather satellite" and try to fire upon the "weather satellite" by using the star mobile's lasers. When it does not work, Leonardo jump out of the star mobile and uses his katana swords to cut the "weather satellite" in two halves, destroying it and saving the city. The other turtles pilot the star mobile so Leonardo can land in the star mobiles seats.
Back in the Technodrome, Shredder agrees to give Krang a "body" so Krang himself can destroy the turtles. Krang agrees.
Back at the turtles' sewer Lair, April reads from a book with the story "The Tortoise and the Hare" as Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Raphael drift asleep. Leonardo enters the room, cleaning his katana sword and suggests that they need their rest, vowing to find Shredder on the morrow.
[edit] Shredded & Splintered
The news is out, the people in New York City have reported sightings of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), and April O'Neil is not happy about it, because it is not her story. The turtles reassure say that she will get the full story and agree with Splinter that it is time to put The Shredder away.
When April returns to Channel 6 News with the Turtle Van and a Turtle Communicator she demands a film crew from her boss.
Back in the turtles sewer lair, Shredder contacts the turtles via their TV. Shredder shows the Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator, a device that undoes mutations. He says that it can transform Splinter back into Hamato Yoshi and invites them to "come and get it". Splinter tells that he must go alone, because Shredder can use the Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator to transform the turtles back into ordinary turtles.
The turtles use the star mobile the Neutrinos left on Earth to transport Splinter to the Technodrome. But as the star mobile runs out of fuel, Donatello go to Baxter Stockmans workshop, where he say he saw something.
The other turtles and Splinter stay on the street only to be attacked by Bebop and Rocksteady, who are sent out by the Shredder to destroy the turtles after Shredder issued his "invitation." The turtles and Splinter easily defeat Bebop and Rocksteady.
In the Technodrome, Shredder shows a promise to Krang: a new "body" for Krang. It is a robot which Krang sit inside and pilot it. Shredder installs a "Molecular Amplification Unit" microchip, which can enlarge both Krang and the robot. shredder pulls the switch and electricity goes around and Shredder yells "Its alive, its alive", as it prepares to move.
Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Raphael is outside the Technodrome. The intruder alarm sounds, and Shredder, saying it is too soon and Krang "hasn't come to its senses" sends the Foot robots to destroy the turtles. When the turtles fight off the Foot robots, Splinter climbs inside the Technodrome to find the Retro Mutagen Ray Generator. The Turtles easily defeat the Foot robots by hacking open a raw sewage line, which causes the outcoming water to "flush" the robots away.
Meanwhile, at the Channel 6 News Building, April is about to get fired by her boss Burne Thompson for being in cahoots with the turtles. April O'Neil convinces him that the turtle communicator is a "Hyper-Turtle Death Ray" and tells her boss to sign a voucher authorizing her a film crew. Frightened, Burne Thompson agrees and signs the document.
Inside the Technodrome, Krang heads for the Transdimensional Portal The turtles watch Krang a remote control camera, so they try to stop him.
Elsewhere within the Technodrome, Splinter has discovered what he thinks is the Retro Mutagen Ray Generator, but is just a hologram. The Shredder arrives, and around is holograms of the Shredder. The "Shredder holograms" then disappears, and the real Shredder engages Splinter in a marital arts combat.
In the Transdimensional Portal room, Krang contacts General Trag, leader of the Stone Warriors from Dimension X. General Trag tells Krang that 12 brigades of troops are ready and waiting. Before Krang can open the Transdimensional Portal Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Raphael arrive. Krang uses his recently installed Molecular Amplification Device to grow/expand 20 times his natural height. Krang chases the turtles out of the Technodrome and smashes a hole through the street surface and climbs up and out on the street.
The turtles pursue Krang. Just then, Donatello arrives aboard his new creation: The Turtle Blimp, which was created from the Neutrinos star mobile and Baxter Stockmans spare parts.
In an attempt to stop Krang, Donatello separates the balloon from the glider. Donatello and Leonardo go inside the robot. April, Vernon Fenwick and their film crew arrive and videotape Michaelangelo and Raphael circling Krangs robot in the glider. Inside Krang's robot, Donatello and Leonardo find the source of energy that allows Krang and the robot to expand: the Molecular Amplification Unit. When Leonardo can't use his katana swords to cut out the Molecular Amplification Unit, Donatello uses his bo staff to destroy the growth mechanism. Krang and the robot begins to shrink, and Donatello and Leonardo have to go out before they become crushed. Krang and the robot is now in normal size, and Krang feels that he can't fight the turtles so he calls the Shredder by using his communicator. Shredder still fights against Splinter in the Technodrome. Shredder uses a device to imprisons Splinter inside an electric cage and disappears to help Krang.
Splinter fears that Shredder will use the Retro Mutagen Ray Generator on the turtles, and try to use one of his long fingernails to remove a metal screw in the floor, and throws it away. It works, and the screw is small enough to go through the electrical cage and destroy its generator. The electricity goes off, and Splinter begins to chase Shredder.
When up on the streets, Shredder holds the Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator towards the TMNT when Splinter arrives and throws his staff at the Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator, destroying it. The turtles thank Splinter and sadly acknowledge that the Retro-Mutagen Ray Generator was probably his only chance to become human again, but Splinter said he had to do it to save the turtles from becoming ordinary turtles agin. Shredder and Krang escape back to the Technodrome. The turtles and Splinter head off to the Technodrome to stop Shredder and Krang.
Inside the Transdimensional Portal room in the Technodrome, Krang's Stone Warriors are going through. Donatello reverses the flow of the Transdimensional Portal, causing it to pull itself into Dimension X. The turtles and Splinter run out in the right time, and The Technodrome and everyone inside (Shredder, Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady and the Foot robots) are gone. Some seconds later, the turtles and Splinter stand in the underground, watching the Technodrome disappear.
Krang and Shredder discover that they are in Dimension X, as billions of rock soldiers wave to the Technodrome as it arrives. Krang says he is absolute ruler of Dimension X and he will do his bidding from now on, as Shredder is unhappy at this (shredder even takes his mask off when he says the shredder takes orders from no one).
Back on Earth, April reports her story about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but the people of New York City are split in their opinion about them.
Splinter warns the turtles that he fears that they have not seen the last of Shredder or of Krang.
