"Enemy of My Enemy" is a crazy good time and the final act had a permanent grin plastered on my face. Yeah, there's a few silly lines and small gripes I've got with the episode, but overall it was a real blast. It literally had everything I'm loving about this show: exciting action, one-liners that make me crack up and lovable character interactions.
This chapter brings the two primary antagonists -- Kraang and the Shredder -- into the spotlight. While the story doesn't introduce anything new with either (the Kraang still want to take over and Shredder still wants to turn the Turtles into soup), both are still ridiculously fun to watch. Shredder suffers from a case of "I'm so awesome that I can afford to slowly walk after my enemies," has a silly line ("Now you'll see why they call me The Shredder!) and once again spews idle threats (sheathes his blades immediately after saying he'll use 'em)... but you know what? Despite all that, I still get giddy like a child on Christmas morning when I see him face-off with the Turtles. It just oozes awesomeness and minor problems aside, he's still incredibly formidable. Then there's the Kraang -- their objective seems to be all over the place when it comes to making the planet theirs, but they're just so darn entertaining with their Kraang talk. I was afraid this unique style of communication would grow old but it totally hasn't. "Kraang rules" is without question the line of the year.
While it places a strong focus on those two baddies, Karai's really the key character here. This episode's all about her epiphany -- Shredder's desire for revenge pales in comparison to the Kraang's looming plot. What good is petty revenge if your planet is taken over by slimy aliens? What happens next is predictable but still hugely amusing. The Turtles have every right not to trust her based on their previous interactions and it's nice to finally feel more empathy for Karai. She pretty much risks it all for this alliance and it was a nice change of pace to see her finally feel like the victim instead of the manipulator. While it seems clear they're building a certain twist for the character, this conclusion really makes me wonder how she'll respond. Sure, she has problems with Shredder, but now more than ever she has a reason to stand firmly by his side.
Michelangelo, I just want to give you a huge hug, man. He's streaming plenty of adorable and legitimately funny one-liners in this episode and seeing each character interact with him in their own unique way never gets old. Raph's response to Mikey's poor directions were priceless. Speaking of which, can someone tell me why they'd pick him to give directions again? Oh, and I love the little conversation about cowabunga's replacement.
Karai: Booyakasha? What does that even mean?
Michelangel: I don't know, but it's fun to yell!"
And guess what? It is fun to hear him yell it. Cowabunga is good and all, but it's dated. So please, stop crying over them not yelling cowabunga because it definitely wouldn't work in 2013. Also hysterical in this one: Donny's word fumbling and Splinter's wisdom. "You know it's good advice when you're still confused afterwards!"
The action is plentiful and super enjoyable this time around. We get Karai dancing around the team and sword fighting Leo (accompanied by some pretty neat slow-mo), Shredder being jaw-droppingly badass as he takes on the Turtles and sidesteps shurikens, and the Kraang creating all kinds of pretty purple explosions with a spaceship. Not only were the melees energetic, but they looked solid, too. Setting the final act mid-day and by the docks was a brilliant change of pace for the show. The stark contrast of the highly detailed water with the unique take on the characters worked really well. Plus, the shot of the ship crashing as Leo and Karai stood face-to-face was seriously cool.
If you even remotely consider yourself a TMNT fan, you're obligated to give this show an honest chance. Simply put: it continues to rock and is pure bliss for this longtime fan of the franchise.
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