BRIEF STORYLINE: Krang calls up General Tragg, the head of the Rock soldiers, to distract the turtles, while Shredder goes on an important mission. General Tragg is given a device called a “Rockolizer” that awakes anything made of minerals, like rocks. This turns inanimate to animate rocks. Shredder is trying to implant a remote control transmitter into a rocket ship that is preparing to launch a satellite with a new Super Laser. Krang wants hold of the Super Laser to be to blast a path for the Technodrome to escape the arctic.
Rocks are going crazy all over the city, coming to life. April is driving all over to cover it’s reports. She then gets trapped in her TV van, almost careering into a giant crater created by a boulder which had exploded out of the ground. April contacts the turtles at Central City Park to help her. The turtles come to her rescue.
In the meantime, Shredder has arrived at the launch site for the rocket, getting ready to attach the remote control device onto the Super Laser.
The turtles and April confront General Tragg, and think Shredder and Krang are at it again. As the turtles fight Tragg, April borrows the Turtle Van to get more videotape at Channel Six to record “the story of the year” as she says it. General Tragg is winning against the turtles, grows tired of it, and creates a Giant Rock Monster, and it chases after the Turtle Van, thinking the turtles are still inside it.
The Giant Rock Monster is sidetracked by the turtles, as it’s about to focus on destroying the Channel Six Building with April inside, but the action ends up at a nearby construction site.
Krang is getting stressed and impatient with Bebop and Rocksteady for the launch of the rocket, who are still to fit the remote control device on the Super Laser.
The Giant Rock Monster is destroyed by the turtles at the construction site, but six new ones are created from it’s remains by General Tragg’s Rockolizer. Can the turtles stone-wall Krang’s plans to shift the Technodrome out of the arctic, and conquer the world? Are the turtles smart enough to outwit the Rock Monsters and General Tragg’s lone commando streak of destruction? (Wow,my cliffhanger pieces really are improving.)
TMNT REVIEW HQ COMMENTS: A season-starter episode to be proud of. It’s fresh to see the under-used General Tragg getting a big piece of the action, instead of only the usual combination of Krang, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady. The episode is not only consistent, but improves along the way. It also showcases the Technodrome changing its location which doesn’t happen much, from the arctic to the ocean lying on the seabed. There’s also seems to be a mimicking of then US President George Bush. Vernon is watching a video about doing absolutely nothing in the officeplace, amusingly, and we have a man on video who sounds very much like Bush and a US flag beside his desk, but no mention of his name.
Some really good moments in this. Some good humour, one example includes a funny reminder that this is only a cartoon. Krang is watching TV for April’s report to “develop a story line!”. Also, Bebop and Rocksteady telling Shredder they are playing “space pilot” inside the rocket and then he throws them out, Bebop and Rocksteady getting blamed by Krang for breaking the main controls of the Technodrome, Krang screaming at the end is funny as well as the very end in the turtles lair. The moving and drama of the Technodrome is well edited too. An original ending too at that, as the turtles use “Wo-Wei” the art of doing nothing as they try to concentrate on Shredder and Krang messing up once again. Rock-hard, exciting action between General Tragg and the turtles, same goes for the Giant and several Rock Monsters.
The least sound parts include General Tragg’s first appearance on Earth trying out his Rockolizer, Bebop and Rocksteady playing around with the rocket launcher guards and Krang’s demonstration of the Rockolizer apart from the music. Not much to bash about then. This is one of the better season openers, and it’s much needed, as 1992 was the year the turtles were on the wane, but still banging out quality episodes.
"ROCK AROUND THE BLOCK" GETS A: 3/5 RATING.
