EPISODE TWENTY SIX
“The Search for Splinter” Part Two
Written by Greg Johnson
Original Air Date: November 1, 2003
Supervising Producer: Lloyd Goldfine
Producers: Gary Richardson, Frederick U. Fierst, Al Kahn, Norman Grossfeld, Thomas Kenney
Supervising Director: Chuck Patton
Story Editor: Lloyd Goldfine
MAJOR CHARACTERS:
Donatello (Sam Regal)
Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas)
Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson)
Raphael (Frank Frankson)
Splinter (Darren Dunstan)
April (Veronica Taylor)
Casey (Marc Thompson)
SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
Various Utroms
The Guardian
The Utrom Council
Mr. Mortu
MAIN LOCATIONS, VEHICLES AND ACCESSORIES:
The TCRI Facility
The Utrom’s Transmat Device
Synopsis:
Intro: Raph does a quick recap of episode 23, where the Turtles discover Splinter is missing from the Foot HQ rooftop, and the attempt to break into the TCRI facility, ending with the cliffhanger of Mike plummeting towards the pavement.
Donatello kicks off of Mikey’s shell, which gives him the momentum needed to grab onto the wall of the building. At the last second, Mike wraps his nunchaku around Don’s bo and both Turtles escape their deathly fall. As Donny and Mikey climb up to join Leo and Raph by the vent, things are getting out of hand down in the building lobby.
The guards facing Casey have drawn odd electric clubs that they’re using to menace the valiant vigilante. Jones manages to disarm his opponents and he tries to use the weapons, but even with their added offensive bonus (which doesn’t last long), it’s obvious he won’t be able to hold them off forever.
April hurries to deactivate the security device that’s preventing the TMNT from entering the vent. She finally manages to turn the device off – just as she’s discovered by another TCRI employee! Just as it looks like the jig is up, Casey arrives and uses the electric prod to disable the man. The two leave the security room, only to see more guards and TCRI C.E.O. Mr. Mortu closing in on them. April wonders if they have any hope, but Casey states that they don’t stand a chance. As Jones prepares to get a few shots in before they’re captured, April spots a hover car in the hallway. The pair manage to climb aboard the strange vehicle and escape the building. They hold up in an alley across the street by the Battle Shell and April calls the Turtles via their com link – but they quickly lose contact as there are apparent communication jammers inside the building.
The TMNT have entered the building through the ventilation shaft and dropped down into the strange interior of the TCRI facility. After looking around a bit and being baffled by the maze-like quality of the building’s interior, the Turtles split into two 2-man teams, Don with Mike and Leo with Raph. Mike and Don will take a nearby elevator and Leo and Raph will follow some TCRI agents that they spotted earlier.
Raphael and Leonardo follow the TCRI employees, but when they turn to peer down a dead end hallway – the men are nowhere to be seen! Leo draws his katana and proceeds with caution – when he reaches the wall at the end of the hallway, he probes it with his blade and we see that it’s a false wall, a holographic image used to dissuade the curious. The Turtles move through the hologram.
Meanwhile, Mikey and Donatello enter the elevator but apparently have no luck in getting it to go anywhere different. Eventually two TCRI guards come walking down the hallway and enter the elevator! Don and Michelangelo cling to the ceiling of the lift as the agents enter and complain about having to go to the decontamination chamber. One of the guards punches a three button combo onto the panel and the doors open to reveal the decontamination chamber – which has extremely unusual architecture and room decor. The agents walk up to some circular metallic panels on the floor, which open up and the guards drop through. Mike and Don cautiously enter the huge area and use ropes to drop down to where the agents went. Once the Turtles get to the bottom of the gigantic chamber, they observe the amazing sight of the weird, alien, Utroms removing themselves from their humanoid exo-suits (in order to get decontaminated from their close encounter with Casey).
In the meantime, the Utrom Council has summoned the Guardian that the TMNT traced to the TCRI building for questioning. The Council is disappointed that the Guardian was bugged and worry that after many centuries they will be discovered and their mission to go home ruined. As the Guardian explains that the Turtles friends have left the building and barely discovered anything, but Mr. Mortu arrives and announces that while Casey and April may be gone – the Turtles themselves are definitely “in the house”. A general alarm is sounded and a search begins for the TMNT.
At the sound of the alarm, Don and Mike are spotted by the Utroms in the decontamination room. The strange aliens use their small hover pads to chase the Turtles and open fire on them! Donatello and Mikey flee with numerous Utroms hot on their heels. Raphael and Leonardo are soon discovered as well, and they find themselves battling a group of armed Utrom guards. Eventually both groups meet up and the four TMNT try to make their escape. The Turtles end up in another weird room, some kind of organic lab. As they look around the spot Master Splinter floating inside a fluid filled tank, with lots of tubes running to and from it! At first the Turtles think Splinter is dead, but then Donny looks at the computer hooked up to the tank and concludes that Splinter is in some kind of state of suspended animation.
Donatello tries to figure out how to get Master Splinter out of the stasis tube, but before he can take any action, our heroes are beset by a group of Utrom guards. The Utroms fire away at the Turtles with their energy weapons, but the ninjas duck, roll, dodge and fight back. One Utrom is kicked, which sends it careening out of control, causing numerous energy blasts to hit pieces of hi-tech equipment. One of the stray shots is heading for Master Splinter, so Donatello dives in front of the beam and takes it in the chest! The force of the blow sends Donny sailing into another room where he slides up to the steps of a strange machine.
The Utrom fire forces the other Turtles to retreat into the room where Donatello was blasted. Mr. Mortu arrives and admonishes the Utrom guards for all the damage that they’ve caused. The TCRI leader then goes into the room where the TMNT are and discovers that they’re hauling the injured Donatello onto the platform of the machine. Mortu pleads with the ninjas to get off of the contraption, but Mikey reveals that they’re glued to the stage by energy – the machine has started itself up! Mortu attempts to override the system, but it’s too late and he can’t stop it. The Turtles are engulfed in white energy and soon find themselves being pulled to pieces by the device! As the Utrom guards enter the room, we see that the Turtles are no longer on the platform of the transmat – all that remains of our heroes is some billowing smoke.
And thus ends the last episode of season one!
