80’s Turtles Fans Rejoice
by Anthony Zangrillo
Bebop and Rocksteady will finally be mutating in season 3 of TMNT on Nickelodeon. At the panel, the show-runners and many of the voice actors traveled to NYC to greet the fervent turtle fan-base. While I haven’t been able to keep up-to-date with the current incarnation of the turtles, I used to be an ardent fan of the 80’s cartoon. I have seen every single 80’s episode (and I’m a 90s child).
One of the most entertaining duos of the old cartoon was Shredder’s bumbling underlings: Beebop and Rocksteady. Beebop resembled an 80s hoodlum, complete with a purple Mohawk and iconic 80s eyewear. In contrast, Rocksteady represented more of a military man gone rogue. Shredder splices Bebop with a warthog and Rocksteady with a rhinoceros.
Seth Green (voice of Leonardo) explained that he loved these characters. There’s always a need for incompetent bad guys that also possess such tremendous power. Their lack of intelligence is truly outstanding, and he cant wait for the writers to play around with this new dynamic in the series.
Other than that massive reveal (alright, maybe I’m exaggerating), the panelists teased some of the future danger the turtles will encounter in the woods setting. Specifically, the attendees were treated to the beginnings of the arduous spirit quest the turtles must undertake this season. Having the turtles separated (for brief moments), while facing their strongest demons should make for a compelling arc, skewed towards some of the show’s more mature viewers.
To finish the panel, next week’s special Halloween episode was shown in full. This throw-away holiday episode allowed the writers to explore a mystery and suspense genre that varies from the usual thematic trends of the show. I like how they are humanizing the mortal turtles by continuing to express some of their lingering injuries, specifically Leonardo (take note Michael Bay). This episode was fun, but the ending did feel a little forced and the secret reveal will probably confuse some of the newer fanbase.
Ultimately, I suggest giving Nickelodeon’s new, successful show a chance. It seems that the turtles are going through a huge resurgence in popularity and they aren’t going away any time soon.
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