| “Superhero for a Day” | |||||||
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| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) episode | |||||||
| Season Code: | S04E13 | ||||||
| Episode: | 78 | ||||||
| Original airdate | September 25, 1990 | ||||||
| Written by | Francis Moss Ted Pederson | ||||||
| Producers: | |||||||
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"Superhero for a Day" is an episode from season 4 (1990) of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series.
Plot Synopsis
When walking away from a cinema in New York City, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hear a screaming sound. They follow the sound, discovering a gang robbery a store. The TMNT fight the robbers and save a woman working there. The woman says that the TMNT are heroes, and gives them candy.
When a TV crew arrives, the Gadgetman watches the story on TV. Gadgetman is a former hero, who used his gadgets to fight criminals when he was young.
The TMNT are in their sewer lair when April O'Neil calls them via her Turtle Comm and tells them that Shredder has been seen at a power plant in the city. The TMNT take the Turtle Van.
On their way, the TMNT come across the Gadgetman, who has seen an accident near a bridge, where the traffic is temporarily forbidden to go because of repair. However, a bus has driven out and is now hanging over the bridge. The children in the bus are scared. Gadgetman tries to climb out and save the children without knowing that his plan puts the kids in more danger.
The TMNT save them all by shooting ropes from the Turtle Van on the bus, and bring the bus back up. No one is killed or physically hurt.
When the TMNT try to persuade Gadgetman to retire, he gets angry and storms off. He does not know that the event was broadcast on the news.
Krang has been watching the event on television in the Technodrome, at this point at the series is located on a Dimension X asteroid. Krang thinks of a plan to have the TMNT distracted by the Gadgetman, so that Shredder can take over the power plants successfully and steal energy to power up the Technodrome and sent the Technodrome to Earth. Krang opens the Technodrome's dimensional portal and sends Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady to Earth.
Shredder calls himself a super hero agent and tries to convince Gadgetman to work with Shredder so that the citizens shall think Gadgetman a hero instead of the TMNT. Gadgetman doesn't know that Shredder wants to get rid of the TMNT permanently. Bebop and Rocksteady stage a bank hold up, which Gadgetman foils, causing Gadgetman to be considered a hero again by the citizens. When the police arrive, Bebop and Rocksteady do not resist because it is a part of the plan. Shredder later frees Bebop and Rocksteady.
The TMNT realize that the bank hold up was only a distraction so that Shredder could achieve time enough to go to another power plant. When the TMNT track the power plant, which April tells is at the East Side, and arrive, Shedder is waiting for them and captures them. He ties them to a generator and powers it to overload and explode. April, who follows the TMNT searching for a news story, arrives just in time to save the TMNT before the plant blows up.
Back in the sewers, Splinter and the TMNT discover Shredder's plan. The TMNT track Shredder to the final power plant. When they arrive, Shredder is already draining energy from the city to the Technodrome.
Gadgetman realizes that he was fooled by Shredder and wants revenge. He has listened to the radio and heard that the TMNT stopped a catastrophe at a power plant. Gadgetman finds the final power plant, and when he arrives he helps the TMNT combat Shredder, Bebop,and Rocksteady. Donatello reverses the power sending it from the Technodrome back to the city. However, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady manage to escape.
Characters
- Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
- Donatello (Barry Gordon)
- Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
- Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
- April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs)
- Shredder (James Avery)
- Krang (Pat Fraley)
- Bebop (Barry Gordon)
- Rocksteady (Cam Clarke)
- Gadgetman
- Female Cashier (Jennifer Darling)
- Channel 6 Anchorman
Locations
- City Streets
- Candy Store
- Turtles' Lair
- Technodrome
- Gadgetman's Apartment
- Channel 6
- City Power Plant Number One
- City Power Plant Number Two
- City Power Plant Number Three
- City Jail
- Fifth National Ban
Vehicles
- Turtlevan
- Gadgetman's Van
- Channel 6 Newsvan
Home media releases
DVD
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 4
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic Series Collection
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga Classics
Notes
Errors
- When Shredder is setting up the energy draining link-up, an image of Krang in his comlink showed Krang in his bubble walker instead of his android body. It's possible that he wore it briefly as his android was being tuned up.
- When the Turtles watch the police taking Bebop and Rocksteady away, Raphael speaks in Donatello's voice.
- When Gadgetman hangs the key to the city on his key rack, it sticks to the rack without a hook to hang from. In the subsequent shots, the key is missing from the rack entirely.
Trivia
- Wouldn't Gadgetman be suspcious as to why someone claiming to be a superhero representative would wear a clearly villainous outfit? Maybe he's getting senile in his old age.