BRIEF STORYLINE: The turtle go out and investigate to see if Shredder and Krang are still at the Hall of Science, which is likely. They get stopped on their tracks by Bebop and Rocksteady. April is at the scene to tape the fight, but doubts if Burne will be convinced that the turtles are innocent of blowing up the Channel Six building in the previous episode(see "Get Shredder" Review).
Burne, still upset has set up a hot line for people who spot and give sightings of the "evil" turtles wherabouts, who are responsible for the damage, according to him.
At the Hall of Scence, Shredder is dreading that the turtles will somehow find a way into building and ruin their plans yet again. Krang tells him not to worry with the equipment Beserko left behind could be extremely useful. They could be able to restore communications with their long-lost Technodrome in Dimension X, and once again will be a force to be reckoned with!
Shredder is hardly thrilled, and comes up with his own idea. First he goes and meets the Rat King in the sewers...
Channel Six, still on the air, continues to run down the turtles good name. Raphael is prepared to go down there and have a chat with Vernon and Burne. However, Donatello comes to the conclusion that maybe Vernon is right, and that "the more they try to help, the more they become the problem".
The other turtles disagree with Donatello angrily. Then, all of a sudden, the Rat King comes into the lair and starts blasting his laser gun. He fools himself into thinking that he has killed them off and goes to Shredder for his reward! A new strain of Mutagen!
Krang has finally made contact with his all General Traag in the Technodrome in Dimension X and demands that the only weapon that hasn't been used against the turtles over the years, the Shock Wave, to be sent to Earth by portal. Unluckily the Shock Wave ends up in a busy intersection of road, and the police got their hands on it. Krang wants Bebop and Rocksteady to retrieve it at the Westmore Research center.
At the temporary Channel Six News Station, April still cannot shift Burne's mind about the turtles. So she threatens to get her story from her side of things.
April finds out the Rat King is at the Hall of Science. She contacts the turtles, but they become defeatist and will not bother to deal with Rat King. This angers Splinter, who would rather go do it himself. The turtles leave their defeatist stance and join forces with him.
However, when they arrive at the Hall of Science, the Rat King attacks them with giant mutant rats! Can the turtles destroy the Shock wave, as well as Shredder's infamous Retro-mutagen gun to turn back the terrorizing rats to small and harmless?
TMNT REVIEW HQ COMMENTS: Exciting episode with action from the start, between the turtles, Bebop and Rocksteady. This includes some of the two mutants dopey saying and fliging barrels from a catapult from the top of the Hall of Science building. There's some good viewpoints of Michaelangelo getting his grappling hook broken by a mini-laser canon from the top as well.
Krang seems to be more menacing than he has been in previous recent seasons, more menacing in voice, such as his first mention of the Shock Wave. He trusts Shredder strongly, as he has no body to control Shock Wave, his "personal weapon" as General Traag says, and wants Shredder to use it, to get rid of the turtles.
The meeting of Shredder and the Rat King in the sewer is nicely done. The Rat King has red eyes for some reason only in this scene, and his face is concealed in darkness. It's funny to see Shredder putting his trust in Rat King, was he ever an ally of Shredder's? Rat King was never really an ally of Shredder's before, he was more allied to Letherhead than he ever was with Shredder! Meanwhile, the relationship between Burne,Vernon & the turtles is at it's lowest. Burne and Vernon demonise the turtles in their news reports. Well in the end they never could build a friendly bridge between the two groups. Also, Burne is at his meanest with April.
One weak part of the episode is the editing of the shockwave turning up in the middle of a road.
There's some really good suspense music when the Rat King finds the turtles lair. This theme harks back to, and reminds you of the previous Rat King theme for his flute in Season 2(1988). The fued between the Rat King and turtles seems to be more intense than ever before.
One good part of this ep is the turtles doubting they will win this adventure making Splinter angry, and then the hope of April seeing the turtles showing up after their confusion of thoughts.
There's more good action involving the mutant rats outsmarting the turtles by chewing through the walls, and cause the building to collapse on the turtles. The Rat King brings unpredictability to this episode. After being in cahoots with Shredder, he snatches the Shock Wave for himself.
The last act creates suspense with turtles almost falling down a crack in the road made by Rat King's Shock Wave. And you're almost pleading for the turtles to reach the Retro-Mutagen Gun. Another best moment is the capture and downfall of Rat King, and the talk from Shredder that it could be curtains for Shredder. Well, it was a happier ending than in the previous episode(Get Shredder! See review for it).
"WRATH OF THE RAT KING" GETS A: 3/5 RATING.
