"Hey, man! You leave TV out of this!"
The Ninja Turtles' time in Northampton has been good fun, but the most common complaint I see from my fellow fans is that it hasn't been moving the story forward. Well, "Vision Quest" focuses on making sure the team realizes they must head back to the city, but first, they need to make sure they're ready for the threats that are waiting for them. What follows is a story that draws elements from previous incarnations of the franchise (e.g. Mirage and the first movie) while also doing a whole lot of new and very cool stuff.
We've seen the team focus on their technique and stealth, but they're still just teenagers. They may have lessons from time to time about their personality flaws, but it doesn't often stick and they've been out of touch with nature. So, after a comedic and clever take on something that happened in the original comic series, Leonardo realizes he and his team must improve. Yes, we've seen each of them attempt to overcome their flaws before (Raph is too hotheaded, Mikey is too lighthearted, etc.), but having each embark on their own vision quest was a creative and thoroughly awesome way to focus on each character without weighing down the story's pacing. It really is impressive how each character had their own arc in this episode.
Yes, having each suddenly realize what they must do at almost the same time is a very standard beat in the plot, but that doesn't take away from how satisfying these developments are. Witnessing the characters -- in their very cool new costumes -- face their biggest challenges and realize what must be done to overcome is seriously cheerworthy. I've watched the episode twice now and the handling of Raph's scene gave me goosebumps both times. He's not my favorite Ninja Turtle, but man, that moment is handled masterfully.
I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say this vision quest gives the show a chance to bring back some familiar faces and they're used very well. One character has this incredibly badass shot where he emerges from a cloud of smoke and, if I was watching this as a child, it would definitely make me afraid of the character. This is one of those episodes where you can see just how much creativity this team brings to the show, but they never go too out-there with this one. There's just enough personality put into it to give us some imaginative shots and only a handful of appropriately trippy moments.
This show tends to have a lot of fun and keeps the tone light, but this episode offered a great balance. There was just enough humor scattered throughout. It either had me completely absorbed in the story or managed to sneak a good laugh in there. Oh, and they had Sean Astin drop a The Goonies reference. How great is that?
I have one very minor criticism about this episode. I understand Donatello's lesson, but it's a little odd he defeated his obstacle by knocking it off a cliff when we know this threat is capable of flight. Still, that's a trivial point and the victory served the theme well.
"Vision Quest" had pretty much everything I could want from a TMNT episode. There was a great focus on the differences between the brothers, enough humor to keep us smiling without taking away from the more serious tone, and it dished out plenty of thrilling action while also moving the story forward. It's time to head back to New York and this episode did a mighty good job building the hype for what's to come.