BRIEF STORYLINE: Leonardo's mutation is at its most unstable leaving as this grotesque, 9-foot tall turtle monster. Eventually, he returns to normal size but doesn't remember anything. Donatello focuses the vortex crystal ray on Leaonardo, pretty confident it will work. All is not well though, as Leonardo's feet start glowing later on.
Meanwhile, in the Dreggnaught, Dregg orders Mung to sabotage a power plant so he can get his hands on some plutonium.
Leonardo mutates again and runs out of the lair to cause more chaos and the other turtles chase in pursuit. He ends up at a Hockey stadium during an actual game.
April is on the lookout for a lead for a new story but then decides she'll find out more about a chop-shop ring within the city.
Dregg appears on Earth at some train tracks with his spaceship. It so happens the out of control Leonardo is there too and Dregg handles the monster Leo well, zapping him with a laser beam that becomes solid crystal and imprisions the helpless monster Leonardo. Dregg then makes a getaway in his shuttle.
Could Dregg be just too good for the other 3 turtles and a win is in the books? What's more is April is a hostage on the shuttle as well! With Dregg, Mung and his bat-men army standing in their way, could this be a MONSTER victory for our bad guys?
TMNT REVIEW HQ COMMENTS: Quite a dissapointing episode and very average. The beginning, shows monster Leo attacking the turtles yet again. The action is mixture of cool and uncool. It's quite funny when Raphael pokes fun at Leonardo when he has a sore stomach. Raph puts the blame on a dinosaur movie which he has "watched ten times and hasn't made me nautious". Actually, Leonardo's mutation into a monster is about to occur.
Dregg and Mung mull over more plans to overthrow the turtles. There isn't that great chemistry between these two like Shredder and Krang had.
One of the best and most memorable parts is the Hockey game drama, when monster Leo and Carter's alter-ego "Mohawk Man" crash through the ice rink, including ice or water getting thrown onto the turtles, that turns to snow(thats what it looks like!).
In general, the editing between major scenes, this means the "fading" effect they use is good, but in-between they is an ampleful of bad editing.
Hmm, interesting sub-plot with April, who is deliberating focusing on TMNT-less news stories using the new revolutionary media of the internet(i wouldn't be doing TMNT reviews if there was no internet, this page would never exist!). Sharp editing throughout this moment. Question: Why has April kept her distance from the turtles ever since the Channel Six Building became no more? Answer? You might know when i get to do her character profile!LOL!
Lets keep things positive here. At the train tracks, good drama as mutated Carter struggles to keep the railings straight as the train rumbles over him, and needs Raphael and Michaelangelo to save him. It definetely high on action here.
Then we get the typical closing of April getting captured, by mini-bots this time. Gets suspenseful, when the devious looking Dregg has blasted a plutonium ray at monster Leo, that turns him normal, but its only a matter of time that the unstable mutation will eventually kill him. One of the best moments is Raphael fighting his way to save Leonardo.
It has a good ending though, marked by Splinter's wise words. Carter wants to leave, to go to college. It seems if he leaves for a normal life, he might never want to see them again. Can't he keep both his college and being devoted to Splinter's Ninjitsu teachings under his wings? He might not be that willing or devoted to it as Splinter once thought. Anyway now to this:
"THE BEGINNING OF THE END" GETS A: 3/5 RATING.
