Nick's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had an amazing finale and, luckily for us, we don't have to wait several months to see what comes next! Instead of following-up with the shocking developments back in New York, Season 3's premiere, "Within the Woods," is a big ol' love letter to older slasher movies and has more than a few nods that longtime TMNT fans will love.
This episode totally embraces many of the tropes that come with the slasher genre; everything from splitting up to tripping while running away from the threat is packed into this episode. Honestly, a few of the jump scares got me a bit (those squirrels!), so I can only imagine how scary this one will be for the especially young viewers. It's not going to make you scream out loud or have nightmares (well, we'll see about the latter!), but the team did an impressive job filling this episode with entertaining horror elements. The best part of all? It doesn't even seem like they had to hold back or censor their ideas! They can slash apart the new mutant (who's called "the Creep") and it has staggeringly impressive strength. Seriously, the hits it lands on the heroes are brutal. There's one bit where someone who loves to scream "goongala" is thrown and the impact dropped my jaw. It's so abrupt and oh-so-harsh.
There's plenty of horror nods throughout the episode, but that doesn't take focus away from character. The team just went through one hell of a situation and we get to see some proper reflection. There's occasional glimpses of sadness and emotion, but there's also plenty of fun character moments as well. Raph's compassionate side shines through, the Donatello and Casey Jones rivalry is given some amusing sequences ("bwhaha!"), Michaelangelo's got some hugely amusing lines, and April even gets to kick a little bit of butt. She's trained so much with Master Splinter so it's nice to see just how much she's improved. She'd obviously be outclassed if a mutant was going all out, but the scene's executed in a way that allows us to really appreciate just how much her skill has grown without feeling like someone else is being downplayed. "Cool, but what about Seth Green as Leonardo?" Good question, random reader! I'll admit the difference in voice is a little jarring since he's so recognizable, but that obvious complaint aside, he fits right in and I likely won't be distracted by the difference in the next few episodes. And yes, they do attempt to explain why his voice sounds different!
The nods to classic slasher movies with the various shots and jump scares are great, but the music felt too over-the-top to me and it took away from the moment instead of enhancing it. So much of the score worked so well in previous episodes. The bit towards the end of the previous finale was emotional and the track they used to boost the sci-fi tone worked perfectly. Sadly, this made it seem a little too cheesy instead of being a friendly nod to the genre.
I know we'll get more of it in due time, but it was a wee bit of a bummer that we didn't have any follow-up with any of the characters that are stuck back in New York. After such a terrific finale, I'm so anxious to see what'll unfold with Master Splinter and the others. Still, it's understandable why they didn't want to break up the narrative and this allowed for a nice focus on the Ninja Turtles, April, and Casey.
Season 3's off to a fun and exciting start. On top of being a blatant love letter to several horror movies, there's a solid amount of humor thrown in and it's fantastic seeing completely new environments. After spending two seasons in the city and sewers, it's refreshing to see the countryside and the haunting atmosphere the woods can provide. Nick's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues to prove it's a show that fans of any age can love.