“Four Musketurtles” | |||||||
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 Cartoon) episode | |||||||
Season Code: | 03 | ||||||
Episode: | 16 | ||||||
Original airdate | October 16, 1989 | ||||||
Written by | Doug Molitor | ||||||
Producers: | – | ||||||
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Four Musketurtles is a season 3 episode of the 1987-1996 series.
Appearing in Four Musketurtles[]
Major characters[]
- Leonardo/D'Artagnan (Cam Clarke)
- Donatello (Greg Berg)
- Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
- Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
- Splinter (Peter Renaday)
- April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs)
- Vernon Fenwick (Peter Renaday)
- Irma (Jennifer Darling)
- Burne Thompson (Pat Fraley)
- Shredder (James Avery)
- Krang (Pat Fraley)
- Bebop (Greg Berg)
- Rocksteady (Cam Clarke)
Minor characters[]
- Jewelry store salesman (Pat Fraley) (debut)
Species[]
- Human
- Mutant rat
- Mutant rhinoceros
- Mutant turtle
- Mutant warthog
Objects and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Turtle Lair
- Technodrome
- Mardi Gras Parade
- Pfeiffer's Jewels-store
Plot[]
New York is celebrating Mardi Gras with elaborate costumes... except for the Turtles, who take the opportunity to just walk around as themselves. April (dressed like a 17th-century noblewoman "straight out of The Three Musketeers") is also covering Pfeiffer's Jewels and the Star of Brazil that they are displaying.
Unfortunately, Krang recognizes the jewel as being Impervium, an ultra-rare substance that Krang's species used for early inter dimensional travel. They lost the impervium when attempting to transfer it from Dimension X to Earth. With it, he could create new and impressive weapons - including a forcefield generator to protect himself.
Meanwhile, Leonardo is engrossed in a copy of The Three Musketeers that April lent them, to the annoyance of the other Turtles. He decides to order four Musketeer costumes, in hopes that they'll be treated with more respect.
Rocksteady and Bebop break into Pfeiffer's to steal the jewel, only to be stopped by the Turtles. As Leonardo takes the stone back, Rocksteady throws a heavy display at him, striking him on the head. When he comes back to consciousness, he believes that he is D'Artagnan, the other three Turtles are the Musketeers, the Shredder is Cardinal Richelieu (which makes him extremely angry) and April is the queen of France. Splinter advises them to go along with his delusions by dressing themselves as Musketeers as well.
The Star of Brazil, meanwhile, was sent sailing out into the street, where it was found and recovered by Irma, who places it on a necklace. Shredder decides to get the Impervium for himself, and steals the forcefield generator Krang has made.
The Turtles try to coax back Leonardo's memories as they search for the missing jewel. Fortunately they catch a glimpse of it when Irma aims the news camera at herself... but unfortunately, Shredder spots her in the crowd and recognizes what she's wearing. He carries her off to the nearest parade float, with Leonardo in hot pursuit.
Shredder hijacks the news chopper and successfully gets away, with Irma, April and the jewel. They arrive at the Channel 6 building, where Shredder places the jewel in the generator.
The Turtles are unsure what to do next, which isn't helped by Leonardo's ongoing delusions - although he is starting to show signs of improvement.
While Shredder is practicing his dictator speech, an enraged Krang appears and orders the Foot Soldiers to apprehend him. He uses the forcefield generator to make himself effectively invincible. But then Leonardo swings down on a rope and snatches the jewel, only to have it shot from his hand and land in Shredder's. But when Shredder activates the forcefield, he's compressed down into a smaller space, since it was set for the size of Krang's bubble walker.
Fortunately, the blow to Leonardo's head has restored him to normal, making him very confused as to why the other "Musketurtles" are wearing costumes.
Shredder manages to free himself from the forcefield, and is about to escape with the jewel when Donatello trips him up, and the Impervium falls right down a nearby drain.
See also[]
Notes and errors[]
- Greg Berg voices Donatello and Bebop.
- First time Krang's Android Body is shown to move by itself indicating that it has an autopilot setting.
- The episode is very reminiscent of Don Quixote de La Mancha, where the protagonist, after reading so many chivalry books, began to think he was indeed a knight, as Leonardo did.
- First time seeing others of Krang's species. Notably, one has a mustache.
- Irony: Splinter is offended that Leonardo calls him a servant, while the other Turtles reminded him not to upset him.
- The teeth design on the Turtle Van's bumper was missing when Michelangelo told Donatello to get them to the parade.
- When Krang gives his flashback about transporting the Impervium from Dimension X, he is shown as a brain in his Bubblewalker along with others of his kind, although he had supposedly had a body before he was exiled to Earth.
- When Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady get into the module, the Impervium is already on the generator that Rocksteady is holding.
- When Krang says "get that Impervium gem!" he is still holding the gem.
- When the audience cheers at the Turtles, Michelangelo's bandana turns green.
- The Foot Tenderizer on the Turtle Van was on the foot ramp instead of the top hatch when the Impervium gem flew out of Leonardo's hand and onto the street.
- In the first shot of the Turtles at the parade, there is a man wearing a skeleton costume but he's drawn like a real skeleton! You can even see through his ribs.
- Leonardo is wearing his swords when he leaves the TV room after the others hurl pizza at him, but they're gone in the very next shot.
- The Turtles are stopped in one scene by a ladder being thrown horizontally in front of them, at face level. Why don't they just go under it?
Trivia[]
- The episode derives its name of The Three Musketeers and its plot is a parody of that novel.
Home media releases[]
VHS[]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Four Musketurtles
- The Biggest Ever Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles Video
DVD[]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Volume 4
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 3
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic Series Collection