“Rise of the Turtles, Part 1”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) episode
The Kraang have a motive, but what is it?
Season Code:	101
Episode:	1
Original airdate	September 29, 2012
Written by	Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia
Supervising Producer	Ant Ward
Producers:	Ciro Nieli
	J.R. Ventimilia
	Joshua Sternin
	MacGregor Middleton
	Peter Hastings
Directed by	Michael Chang
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Turtles Forever" "Rise of the Turtles, Part 2"

"Rise of the Turtles, Part 1" is the first episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series), which originally aired on September 29, 2012.

Information Edit

Major Characters Edit

Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Splinter, April O'Neil

Secondary Characters Edit

Kirby O'Neil, The Kraang, Snake

Main Locations Edit

Turtles Lair

Plot Synopsis Edit

Deep under New York City, the Turtles are sparring in the Lair; Leonardo against Michelangelo, and Raphael against Donatello. Leo and Raph win their respective fights and then duel each other, with Raph coming out the winner. Splinter says they all did very well, and humbles Raph for gloating about his victories by pinching Raph on the neck and forcing him to say stuff like "Good job everyone"

Later Splinter and the Turtles celebrate their Mutation Day( which is kind of like their birthday except they all mutated.) over a meal of algae and worms, and Splinter 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, Leo 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. 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 ( and bathrooms.)

Once on the surface, the Turtles are fascinated by the city. Soon they happen upon a pizza delivery boy. Raph 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. Mikey volunteers to taste the strange food first. Not only is it safe, it's delicious, and the turtles soon devour the whole thing.

After more roof hopping, Leo decides it's time they went home, but Donnie spots a teenage girl on the street with her father and  immediately falls in love with her saying "She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." Suddenly a van pulls up in front of the two humans and a lot of strange men approach them. Leo 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. Just when Donnie starts to gain her trust, Mikey accidentally hits him in the head with one of his nunchucks. Then they both get knocked down, the men take the girl, and the van drives off. Donnie chases after them with Leo and Raph.

Mikey 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.

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 Donnie 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. Leo asks for the role, but his brothers argue about it. Splinter says he must meditate before deciding. He goes into his sanctum for a second before announcing that it's Leo, much to Raph's frustration.

Back on the surface, Leo leads the group to stake out a building with the same logo that was on the kidnappers' van that was used to kidnap the family. 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 mutagen rolls out of the back of the van. They recognize it as the same kind that mutated them all those  years ago.

To be continued...

Quotes Edit

More to be added...

GalleryEdit

See: Rise of the Turtles / Gallery

Notes Edit

• This episode originally aired as a "Series Preview" on Friday, September 28, 2012 at 8:00pm (ET) on Nickelodeon. The episode premiered in its official time slot, Saturdays at 11:00am (ET), the following morning along with the second episode "Rise of the Turtles, Part 2".
• The zoom-in on New York City and then its sewers is more or less taken from the 2003 show.
• Hamato Yoshi mutates into Splinter like the 1987 animated series.
• Like in the '87 series episode "A Thing About Rats", the Turtles don't believes Mikey's story of an alien brain.
• April and her father are introduced when walking in front of the Second Time Around Antique Store, which April inherited from her father in the continuities of the live-action films & 2003 animated series.
• Raph's comic book has a picture of Mutagen Man on the cover.
• When the Turtles start exploring the streets, one of the store windows they pass has the word "Ventimillia" on it. This is likely a reference to J.R. Ventimilia, one of the producers and writers for the series.
• Leo's favorite show, "Space Heroes", is reminiscent and a parody to the existing show "Star Trek: The Animated Series"
• This is the first episode in which "Booyakasha!" is said.
• In this episode Raph beated Leo in a training match, this could imply that Raph is stronger than Leo.
• This is the first apperance of mikey's new weapon, the kurigasama a chain-sickle.
• This is the first episode where the Turtles came to the surface.
• Mikey seems to have his own unique fighting style his "Hot nunchuck fury!".

 ErrorsEdit

Various times, Donnie will use his staff like a pole vault and 'lose' it but always seems to have it in the next frame. Seriously, Donnie? Don't deny it. Even you can do simple magic tricks too.