Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series) season 7
| TMNT: Back to the Sewer | |
|---|---|
| Season 7 | |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Release | |
| Original network | The CW4Kids |
| Original release | September 13, 2008 – March 27, 2010 |
| Season chronology | |
The seventh and final season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, titled Back to the Sewer or TMNT: Back to the Sewer, aired on Saturday mornings on the CW4Kids on CW Network in 2008–2009. With this season, the show moved from Fox's 4Kids TV lineup to the CW. The season began with the episode "Tempus Fugit" which aired on September 13, 2008. It is followed by the TV special Turtles Forever.
Story
Cody Jones is able to finally repair the Time Window, but parts with the Turtles and Splinter can return to 2006. However, Viral, who had survived her defeat in the previous season, hacks into the time window, taking control of it and sending the Turtles, Splinter and Serling (who accidentally fell in) to various eras in attempts to kill them. Just as the group is able to return home, Viral attacks Splinter, shattering him into countless bytes of data scattered across the Internet. Serling and the Turtles resolve to recover Splinter's bytes and return him to his whole self by digitizing themselves and entering cyberspace to find them.
Viral is forcibly assimilated into a digital copy of Ch'rell, who had done so prior to his attempted departure from Earth in the 3rd-season finale. This forms a new incarnation of the Shredder known as the "Cyber Shredder", who employs a new Foot Clan with Khan as his first lieutenant. Shredder makes several attempts to escape from cyber space and enter the real world, often harassing the Turtles during their attempts to locate Splinter's data.
In the season's finale, Splinter is recompiled and returned to his sons, who decide to celebrate April and Casey's wedding. Dozens of the Turtles' allies and friends attend the ceremony, which is violently attacked by the Foot Clan, led by the Shredder, who has finally entered the physical world. In the midst of a massive battle between the Turtles' allies and the Foot, Donatello is able to destroy the Shredder. The wedding finally ends, in front of the Turtles, Splinter, and many other allies (including some who watch from afar; such as Agent Bishop, Cody, etc.).
Cast
- Michael Sinterniklaas as Leonardo: Donnie's second-in-command and the former leader of the Turtles who helped his brothers to find Splinter's data bits after Viral blasted him apart into Cyberspace. (12 episodes)
- Sam Riegel as Donatello: the new leader of the Turtles and genius engineer who blamed himself for Splinter's decompiling... up until "Hacking Stockman" and vowed to restore his bits from Cyberspace. (12 episodes)
- Frank Frankson as Raphael: the Turtles' hotheaded member and Leo's former second-in-command who often argues with him. (13 episodes)
- Wayne Grayson as Michelangelo: the Turtles' youngest member and a source of comic relief who is a member of the Justice Force as the "Turtle Titan". (13 episodes)
Supporting
- Veronica Taylor as April: the Turtles' ally who enters a relationship with Casey.
- Marc Thompson as
- Casey: the Turtles' ally who enters a relationship with April.
- Serling: Cody's robot servant who become constantly infuriated by the turtles.
- Scottie Ray as Ch'rell/The Cyber Shredder: a new incarnation of Ch'rell... who was based the real Demon Shredder.
Recurring
- Darren Dunstan as Splinter: the Turtles' sensei and adopted father who deleted by Viral and sent across Cyberspace.
- Eva Kaminsky as Viral: a computerized system and a formal ally of the late Sh'Okonabo, who later fuses with Ch'rell's backup memory to become the Cyber Shredder.
- Greg Carey as Hun: a hulking gangster who and the leader of the Purple Dragons.
- Sean Schemmel as Master Khan: a second in command of the Foot Clan who apparently comes from the ranks of the Foot Elite, the personal bodyguard of the Cyber Shredder who is based on the Utrom Shredder based on the Demon one.
- Christopher C. Adams as Cody: a descendant of April and Casey, who lives in 2105 and helps the turtles survive in the future.
Development
Following their intentions to return the characters to the present day and adapt a tone similar to the recent TMNT movie, 4Kids pitched a revamp of the series to Peter Laird codenamed "Superworld". The initial proposal was given the 'thumbs down' by Laird.[1] Following this was a second proposal called TMNT Overload, which was approved by Mirage, but rejected by Playmates Toys, who then proposed their own idea, only to have that be rejected by 4Kids and Mirage.[2]
On October 24, 2007, Steve Murphy confirmed on his blog that Playmates, Mirage, and 4Kids had firmly agreed on the new direction, which will take place in the continuity of the 2003 series and use the "more realistic aspects" of the aborted "Overload" pitch, with character designs similar to that of the 2007 TMNT movie.[3][4]
Its description was as follows:
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in New York, ready to race across the rooftops and take on all challengers!
Not only are Casey and April back and ready to bust some bad guy butt, but a brand new, super advanced Turtle Lair is under construction (thanks to some hi-tech know-how Donatello garnered from the future), and of course there are all sorts of new heavy duty Turtle vehicles gearing up to roar down the streets of NYC and give the Foot a taste of some serious Turtle.
The stakes have never been higher, their enemies have never been stronger... and if the Turtles are going to be triumphant they’ll need to work together in ways they never have before.[5]
Further info was revealed in December 2007:
When the Turtles return from the future to their present time, Viral interferes causing Master Splinter to get trapped in cyberspace, bits of his data code scattered all throughout the digital domain. The Turtles must find a way to access the virtual realm so they can gather Splinter’s code and save their beloved father before he is lost to them forever...And what good is a digital realm without a super bad guy! That's right; the Shredder is back in new form. In order to save their master, the Turtles must now face... The Cyber Shredder! Now the Turtles must fight on two fronts - cyberspace and the real world. And twice the locations, means twice the bad guys. That's right; the TMNT will be facing off against Hun, the Foot, Baxter Stockman, and some dangerous digital monsters! Get ready, because the Turtles are back from the future, back in action, and back to the sewers! [6]
Three samples of a new opening theme song were announced by 4Kids to be under consideration on February 22, with the option for fans to vote on each of the samples and determine an official opening theme song.[7] Six pitches for the theme song were released on February 29 most confirming that the Shredder will return in some form. Much of the theme lyrics identify him as "Cyber-Shredder".[8] A trailer was released on August 8.
On September 6, a sneak peek of the season's opening episode was featured on 4Kids official website. The footage revealed that the Turtles return from the future after Michelangelo coaxes Viral into assisting them.[citation needed] However, the Turtles discover they have been sent back a year or so later from when they had left, and also bear witness to a near-future where a war has broken out between the Utrom Shredder (Ch'rell), the original Tengu Shredder (Oroku Saki) and the yet-unencountered Cyber-Shredder.[citation needed] Viral, desperate for energy after being depleted in battle, taps into the present day's network systems, but is overtaken by a Foot Ninja computer code, transforming her body and mind into the Cyber-Shredder.[citation needed]
It is later revealed that the Cyber-Shredder is actually a digital backup of Ch'rell's memories from his attempted departure from Earth, and later banishment to the frigid asteroid in the third season's two-part finale, Exodus.
Episodes
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written By | Original air date | TV Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143 | 1 | "Tempus Fugit" | Roy Burdine | Eric Basart | September 13, 2008 | S07E01 |
| 144 | 2 | "Karate Schooled" | Roy Burdine | Michael Ryan | September 20, 2008 | S07E02 |
| 145 | 3 | "Something Wicked" | Roy Burdine | Michael Ryan | September 27, 2008 | S07E03 |
| 146 | 4 | "The Engagement Ring" | Roy Burdine | Robert David | October 4, 2008 | S07E04 |
| 147 | 5 | "Hacking Stockman" | Roy Burdine | Joe Kelly | October 18, 2008 | S07E05 |
| 148 | 6 | "Incredible Shrinking Serling" | Roy Burdine | Robert David | October 25, 2008 | S07E06 |
| 149 | 7 | "Identity Crisis" | Roy Burdine | Michael Ryan | November 1, 2008 | S07E07 |
| 150 | 8 | "Web Wranglers" | Roy Burdine | Robert David | November 8, 2008 | S07E08 |
| 151 | 9 | "SuperQuest" | Roy Burdine | Robert David | November 15, 2008 | S07E09 |
| 152 | 10 | "Virtual Reality Check" | Roy Burdine | Michael Ryan | November 22, 2008 | S07E10 |
| 153 | 11 | "City Under Siege" | Roy Burdine | Steve Melching | November 29, 2008 | S07E11 |
| 154 | 12 | "Super Power Struggle" | Roy Burdine | Robert David | February 21, 2009 | S07E12 |
| 155 | 13 | "Wedding Bells and Bytes" | Roy Burdine | Matthew Drek & Robert David | February 28, 2009 | S07E13 |
| 156 | 14 | "Mayhem from Mutant Island" | Roy Burdine | Matthew Drek & John Drek | March 27, 2010 | S07E14 |
"Mayhem from Mutant Island" shorts
Starting March 7, 2009, a series of 13 shorts, called "chapters", ranging from 90 seconds to two minutes in length, began airing on The CW4Kids during episodes of TMNT: Back to the Sewer and Chaotic: M'arrillian Invasion. They were streamed on the 4Kids website a week in advance of airing them on television. The episodes comprise a single story called "Mayhem from Mutant Island."[9] On March 27, 2010, the 13 shorts were re-aired compiled as the single episode "Mayhem from Mutant Island".
| No. | Title | Original air date | TV Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "What Lurks Beneath" | March 7, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
While riding around with their sports gear, the Turtles are attacked by a giant crustacean-type monster that emerges from the sewers. | |||
| 2 | "Terror Unleashed" | March 7, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
The Turtles overcome the monster, only to fall into the sewer. Upon landing, a large group of mutants attacks. | |||
| 3 | "Trouble Runs Rampant" | March 14, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
After narrowly escaping the mutants in the sewer, the Turtles don their Sub-Sewer Gear in order to combat them. | |||
| 4 | "Showdown in the Subterrane" | March 21, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
The Turtles defeat the dinosaur mutants, only to subsequently discover they were right in front of a Purple Dragons stronghold. | |||
| 5 | "Attack of the Purple Dragons" | March 28, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
The Turtles face off with Hun and the Purple Dragons, believing them to be responsible for the mutant dinosaurs. It is revealed, however, that Baxter Stockman is the true culprit. | |||
| 6 | "Face-Off with the Foot" | April 4, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
After Hun tells the Turtles that Khan and the Foot Clan are behind the mutant attacks, the Turtles don new metal armor and forge new and even stronger weapons before storming their hideout. | |||
| 7 | "Rivals Take Arms" | April 11, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
Using their new-and-improved armor and weapons, the Turtles battle with Khan and the Foot Clan. | |||
| 8 | "Dread Returns" | April 18, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
The Foot Clan backs off as a mutant T-rex enters the scene, grabbing Leo into its jaws. | |||
| 9 | "In Pursuit of Danger" | April 25, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
The Turtles chase after the mutant T-rex in the Hauler, but once Leo is freed, the Turtles find themselves facing an entire group of mutant dinosaurs. | |||
| 10 | "The Scourge Revealed" | May 2, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
Using the Hauler, the Turtles take out as many of the mutant dinosaurs as they can, which causes the underground railway tunnel they are fighting in to collapse. Immediately after, they receive a message from Stockman. | |||
| 11 | "Rendezvous with Evil" | May 9, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
The Turtles locate Stockman in their helicopter, but are struck out of the air by the mutant dinosaurs. The Turtles respond by donning their Mech Wrecker suits and engaging the mutant dinosaurs in battle. | |||
| 12 | "Stockman Strikes" | May 16, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
As the Turtles battle with Stockman and the mutant dinosaurs, Don discovers that the dinosaurs are being controlled by a radio tower. | |||
| 13 | "Fate of the Deranged Dinos" | May 23, 2009 | S07E14 |
|
Don destroys the radio tower with his mech-suit, and the dinosaurs become docile. With that, the Turtles leave the island. | |||
References
- ^ "TMNT 2008 cartoon season: now what?". the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ "TMNT: Overload...not?". the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ "2K8 sneak peek.1". the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2008-02-19. [dead link]
- ^ "2K8 sneak peek.2". the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ "2008 TMNT series update". the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ "Back to the sewer!". the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
- ^ "You Decide the "TMNT" Theme Song". 4kids.tv.com. February 22, 2008. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ "TMNT Pick a theme song". 4kids.tv. Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ http://www.4kidstv.com/tmnt-back-to-the-sewer
External links
- Season Seven Episode list with detailed synopses at the Official Ninja Turtles website
- Episode list with synopses at TV.com
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