EPISODE TWENTY NINE
Turtles in Space Part Three: “The Big House”
Written by Marty Isenberg
Original Air Date: November 22, 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)
The Fugitoid
SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
Triceraton Ensign
Prime Leader Zanramon
Commander Mozar
Triceraton Guards
Rynokk
Sleeg
MAIN LOCATIONS, VEHICLES AND ACCESSORIES:
Triceraton Space Cruiser
Tribase One
Triceraton Homeworld
Triceraton Hover Shuttle
Triceraton Prison
Synopsis:
The Fugitoid recaps the previous episode, leading up to where he is captured. Cut to Michelangelo continuing the voice-over, showing he and the other Turtles within the cargo bay of a Triceraton ship as it suddenly takes off, the room they’re in emptying of air…
Act 1: The Triceraton space cruiser jumps through hyper space and docks with a much larger mother ship. The Fugitoid is taken to a meeting with Commander Mozar, who informs the mechanical inventor that the Triceratons plan to get the design for the Teleportal device one way or another. Meanwhile, back on the space cruiser, the Turtles are discovered by a clean up crew. Our heroes managed to survive in the atmosphere-free chamber by sitting in the lotus position and practicing Chi Gong (internal breathing). Mikey takes a deep breath of what he expects to be fresh oxygen, but he discovers that the Triceratons breathe different gases than we Earthlings do. Our heroes all gasp for breath while they’re taken prisoner.
The mother ship blasts off into hyper space and arrives near the Triceraton Homeworld. Mozar escorts Fugitoid to the Triceraton High Council, where they come before Prime Leader Zanramon. The saurian statesman tries to appeal to the Fugitoid to make the Teleportal device by pretending to be peaceful, but the Fugitoid refuses to build them the machine. Just then a report comes in about the captive TMNT. Fugitoid asks how his friends could have gotten here, and Zanramon spots his angle. The Prime Leader threatens to kill the captive Turtles unless the Fugitoid agrees to build the Teleportal!
Act 2: The Turtles are taken to a Triceraton prison. Our heroes are handcuffed and tattooed before being lead to their cell. Later, the group is escorted to lunch, and Mikey accidentally bumps into a menacing alien named Rynokk, who is enraged by being touched. A fight almost erupts, but Rynokk is content to stalk off after Mikey apologizes. Another alien prisoner named Sleeg advises the guys not to mess with Rynokk. Sleeg explains to the TMNT how the Big House operates as they file through the lunch line. We see Rynokk taking bribes from other prisoners in the form of dessert. Mikey states that no one is going to eat his dessert as he dumps a heaping pile of a gooey substance into his bowl and then takes a huge bite of it. Sleeg looks aghast and explains that Mike has just eaten floor wax (the poor ninja was standing by the wrong machine when he filled his plate). Mikey’s eyes bulge and he dashes for a nearby garbage can, where he loses his lunch.
Cut to Fugitoid, agonizing over what to do.
Back to the Turtles in their cell, where Leo reveals that he was able to steal some spoons. Raph has taken a metal cup and Don got some of the floor wax… all Mikey got was sick, but he picks up a rock from the cell floor and displays it to his disappointed brothers. The guys begin making their plans for escape. Don combines the floor wax with some dirt and liquid and illustrates that the combination creates a smoke bomb. Leo declares that they’ll break out that night.
Act 3: Later, in the cafeteria, Don plants his smoke bomb, timing it to go off in about six hours. Unfortunately Rynokk walks up to Raph and demands his food. The ninja is in no mood to back down, and a fight ensues. Initially the prisoners cheer for Rynokk, but Raph wins the early exchanges and the crowd takes his side. The Triceraton prison guards stand by and watch, figuring it will be interesting. Raph jumps onto the end of a table, sending it shooting upwards into Rynokks jaw, knocking out the brute. The guards have seen enough and they use their remote control to send electrical charges through the hand cuffs and subdue Raph. The lead guard comments that these Turtles show a fiery spirit and will do well in the Arena. He orders his men to take Raph to solitary confinement.
Back in their cell, Leonardo draws a map on the ground and explains that their escape plan will still work – they’ll just have to rescue Raph on their way out. Now all they need is a distraction so they can get one of the guards’ remote control key cards. Leo and Don decide that Mikey should get sick.. something the cheerful Turtle isn’t too keen to do based on his lunch experience. Unfortunately for Mikey, Leo and Don aren’t willing to negotiate, and they hold their brother down and force him to eat more floor wax.
Leonardo begins yelling for the guards, and they eventually arrive to investigate. Leo tells them that Mike is very sick, and one guard states that this trick won’t work and lifts Mike up by his arm. Mikey’s eyes and cheeks bulge, and he vomits on the guard’s face. The angry Triceraton slaps Mike to the ground and the guards stalk off. Leo asks Don if he managed to get the key card during the distraction, and Don says he thought Leo was going to do it! Fortunately, Mikey coughs up the remote control, which he somehow managed to swallow. Donatello is disgusted by this, so he uses his foot to control the device, opening doors and freeing our heroes from the hand cuffs and tattoos.
The guys head out to look for Raphael. Don surmises which door he’ll be locked behind and opens one with the key card – but it’s just a janitor’s closet. Undaunted, our heroes arm themselves with common cleaning utensils and proceed with the search. The next door is Raph’s cell, and the four brothers are united once again. When Raph sees that his brother are armed with cleaning tools, he asks if they got him anything – Leo hands him the spoons he had taken from the cafeteria earlier. Raph isn’t impressed, but he shrugs and follows his brothers.
Cut to Prime Leader Zanramon telling the Fugitoid that his time’s up: since he hasn’t begin to build the Teleportal, one of his Turtle friends is going to be executed. However, when the Prime Leader turns on the video screen of the Turtles cell, he discovers that they’ve escaped! The smoke bomb in the cafeteria goes off, and the Triceratons sound their alarms.
Cut to Turtles emerging from prison’s drainage system… the guys are excited to be outside of the facility, but they’re immediately discovered by a group of Triceraton guards.
Act 4: A brawl ensues. Gun-toting Triceraton guards versus Turtles, armed only with their makeshift janitorial weapons. Although they fight well, our heroes are eventually gunned down with stun lasers and hauled off in a space cruiser to another mother ship. The TMNT have been taken to “the games” – the prison’s fight Arena. The Turtles are escorted inside at gunpoint and when the Arena door opens, they see a gigantic purple monster waiting for them!
