Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles Episode 314 - "Casey Jones vs. the Underworld"

"Did you really just say that, kid?"

Casey Jones vs. Shredder. It's pretty obvious who wins that one, right? So when a new episode of Nick's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles promotes the fact it's revolving around a conflict between the young vigilante and the supremely badass villain, I couldn't help but feel a little skeptical. I mean, who else was worried Shredder would be totally downplayed to give Casey a little more love? Thankfully, that's not the case. The end result is an amazingly fun episode that's full of great laughs, exciting action, and some solid plot progression.

You can always expect entertaining battles and comedy from this series, but I thought this episode was wonderfully offbeat at times and offered such a great variety of gags. From Mikey being, well, Mikey, to blatant references (pain 101!) to Shredder going to meet an obese mob boss, this episode dropped a huge variety of levity and almost all of it had me smiling or laughing. As if that wasn't enough, there's even to an amusing dose of Crognard (which has a Han Solo reference!). I was really enjoying their new take on Hun, too. (Sure, it's basically one big nod to Bruce Lee, but the handling was hysterical and a total blast. How can you not love the way he beats Casey in their first encounter?)

I'm guessing some of you are going to think Casey Jones is frustratingly arrogant and stubborn in this episode and I really do get that. But I also get why the kid is acting this way. He wants nothing more than to make his city a safe place, yet when the time came to truly save it, he was sitting on the sidelines. Now, he wants to compensate for that. He wants to prove -- not to others, but to himself -- that he has what it takes to save the day. Part of him also seems to love the rush of danger. If Shredder puts a blade right in front of someone's face, odds are they're going to need a new pair of pants and will likely move to a different city. Casey? He got a thrill from it and wanted more. He survived an encounter with the Ninja Turtles' big bad and thinks he can take it even further. So yeah, while I do think his mentality is a little frustrating at times, I get why he's like that.

This is the kind of episode that could have the villains acting like jobbers just to help Casey survive, but I honestly think they did a good job balancing everything. I never felt like they were being downplayed; I felt like Casey was just getting lucky or getting the jump on them. For example, when he takes on Rahzar and Fishface, it's made abundantly clear he's taking on two fiends that are way too much for him to handle head-on. But when Casey does get his moment to shine, it plays to his strengths and it's awesome. The rock score makes it even more fun, too.

The directing of the fights was pretty awesometastic as well. The extended wideshots were great, the presentation of Hun's speed was impressive, and what could have been a generic "the good guys and bad guys pair off and fight!" sequence was refreshing and energetic because of where it took place and how it jumped from match to match. It wasn't your ordinary kind of encounter ("fight on the rooftops or the streets until the plot kicks in!") and Michelangelo's numerous kicks against Rahzar were hilarious. This episode was another example of the creative team knowing when to utilize slow motion at just the right time.

The cliffhanger isn't something that fills me with excitement, but I am left with a "wait and see" impression because the storyline does have a lot of potential. Donatello says it could even impact one of them, and even though the IDW comic did something similar, I would totally love to see this show's take on that plot and who they would select. (Evil Raphael, please.)

I love this episode, but I do have a few minor criticisms. They're not enough to impact the score, but I do think they're worth noting. First, when Leo threatens Shredder, the villain says something like, "I have no time for idle threats, boy." Well, I thought basically the same thing when Leo said it. I get he's trying to be tough and show no fear against their greatest enemy, but it's difficult to take that threat seriously. Secondly, Shredder on a bike. I mean, I get the guy has to travel somehow, but it looked a little odd to me. Lastly, the first time Shredder confronts Casey, it seems like the shot lingers on Oroku's face for just a little too long. It's probably like that for suspense, but I think we all know Oroku isn't going to stab the kid, so they could have trimmed that shot just a wee bit. Oh, and is it just me or does it sound like they had someone else record Baxter Stockman's dialogue?

"Casey Jones vs. the Underworld" is an incredible amount of fun. It brings an amazing (and well-directed) variety of comedy and craziness, but it's not just popcorn fun! The episode also takes some time to construct a new and legitimately interesting plot (Shredder finally has bigger plans than "destroy Splinter!") and it offers a decent amount of insight into the human vigilante. Casey may be stubborn as hell at times, but at least the introduction (and previous handling of the character) justifies why he's acting this way, so I don't mind it when he's being blatantly foolish because it does feel in character for him. All in all, I thought this episode was a total delight and my only criticisms are really, really minor. Now I'm left really wanting to see how Hun would fare against the Ninja Turtles.

Idle threats are like Sundays in TMNT.

I don't HATE Casey, but I feel that he has too much confidence for someone with no formal combat training or actual fighting experience. The first time Casey fought Raphael he was able to hold Raph off like it was nothing. That's what makes Casey's character annoying. I thought it was rather inconsiderate for the turtles to laugh at Casey in the beginning, but it was also irresponsible for Casey to continue trying to fight by himself. Only by cartoon logic could a character get away with that.

I prefer this version of Hun in TMNT 2012 because too many of the other villains are already powerhouses. The turtles should have more agile adversaries.

Man, I love Hun. So happy he's in the new cartoon. Also, this gives me even more hope that my second most favorite TMNT antagonist of all time will show up soon--Agent Bishop.

Hun down, Triceratons, Bishop, Neutrinos, & Usagi Yojimbo to go!

So, Hun is Bruce Lee now. Okay, that's kinda cool.

I'm just not a fan of this interpretation of Casey Jones.

I have one thing to say, Nick you're not doing right, you're doing it BEST!!!!!!

Am I the only one who thinks the Gang war was a missed opportunity

With the whole themed of this show I've been curious to see if they are brave enough to actually mutate KC or April.

@the_stegman: You say that like he was likable in any version of TMNT he appeared in.

@lurkero: That's what makes Casey so fun! He SHOULDN'T be able to beat the crap out of trained ninjas, but he's so wild and so much of a brawler that he can.

@ostyo: Yeah, but he's just such a little...sh*t, in this.

Anyone else get an Ace Chemicals vibe from that factory? I was half-expecting Hun to emerge as a deranged mutant when he fell into the vat.

The only thing I didn't like about the episode was that the Turtles moved back into their old lair. Doesn't make sense considering Shredder and the Kraang know it's location...

What if we get an evil mind controlled Mikey, who's super badass when serious? xD!!!

Yeah, that should have been a 3-part episodes.

@lurkero: Thing is though, it's totally in character for Casey to act like this. In addition to being a rowdy teenager, he's a crazy vigilante trying to fight something way bigger than himself and he now has insecurity issues from being left out of the Turtle's battle with the Kraang. His heart is in the right place but his head isn't. That's Casey Jones to a tee. Casey doesn't have formal training and he shouldn't; he's a nut with a baseball bat whose watched way too much TV and now wants to bust some skulls, that's what makes him a good character, he's parody of every vigilante character.

The Turtles rip on him for being beaten because they're teenagers and that's what they do and also because their friends, and friends rip on each other. They're not trying to be mean. Since he wasn't hurt bad they're just giving him shit.

@smart_dork_dude: @ballsmonkey: I think because previous incarnations of Casey were muscular adults they were able to be more believable. Scrawny teen version of Casey doesn't seem like the type who could fight any of the mutants and win. He should have at least a little bit of training.

Then again he does use gadgets to make up for his scrawny physique

@lurkero: They alternate between him being inexperienced, to taking on several robot ninjas at the same time in his first actual fight. He annoys me for that reason alone

This, also I would like to see Agent Bishop (created in the 2003 series)

@lurkero: He doesn't seem like the type who could win a fight, but that's kind of the thing....HE thinks he does. In Casey's head he's the ultimate badass.

Am I the only one who thinks that it's strange that Shredder controls all of the South American underworld through Xever? I mean that fish i pathetic.