Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) S1 E2 "A Better Mousetrap" - TV Tropes

"It may not look like much, but this tin toy can chomp his way through steel and concrete like Michelangelo through a pizza."

While Mikey, Don, and Splinter fix their new home, Leo and Raph are picking up stuff from their old home. The latter expresses vengeance on the one who sent the killer robots. As they arrive, they started watching the news about Dr. Baxter Stockman, head of Stocktronics, creating a Mouser robot, the same kind of robot that attacked the Turtles.

Meanwhile, Dr. Stockman's assistant, April O'Neil, finds herself in trouble when she attempts to find out what her employer intends to really do with the Mousers.

First appearance of April O'Neil and Baxter Stockman

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This episode provides examples of:

• Amusing Injuries: At one point, all the Turtles grab on to each other's ankles in order to save their lives. Mike grabs Raph's ankles while still wearing his shuko spikes.

  Raph: Ow! Watch where you point those shuko spikes, Mike!

• Animated Adaptation: The plot of this episode follows issue #2 of the Mirage comics where April and Stockman were introduced. The main points in common are:
  • April working on the Mousers without knowing they were to be used for evil.
  • April discovering the truth when she finds hundreds of Mousers being manufactured secretly underground and being used to rob banks.
  • Stockman trying to kill April using the Mousers when she finds out the truth.
  • April escaping into the sewers, where she meets the Turtles.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Mike lists out what they can watch on TV this way.

  Mike: We got late movies, top ten video countdown, BMX bird highlights, some really weird Korean language soap opera...

• Be Careful What You Wish For: Raphael says this to Leonardo when he wishes to see him try to fight him.
• Bridal Carry: Michaelangelo picks up a fainted April this way before asking the others if he can keep her.
• Broken Pedestal: Don has this reaction towards Stockman when he discovers that he was the one that created the mousers.

  Don: I can't believe that the famous Baxter Stockman would try to pass off these killer robots as a good thing.

• Bystander Syndrome: Splinter's opinion on Stockman.

  Raphael: Why can't we just go topside and show him a little mean and green?

  Splinter: Because I forbid it!

• Chronic Hero Syndrome: This is how Leonardo is convinced by Raphael to go out of the lair to follow the Mouser.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: A lighthearted, comedic example: Michelangelo asks his brother if he can keep April in the same tone as a kid asking their parents if they can keep a dog or cat that followed them home.
• Dope Slap: When Raph says he would like to confront Baxter Stockman violently and question him about the mousers, Splinter forbids it and hits him over the head with his walking stick.
• Evil Mentor: Stockman is this to April right before she tries to find out what his plans are for the Mousers.
• Gory Discretion Shot: The shot of the Mousers eating and killing the rats happens offscreen with audible sound effects and the Turtles' horrified reactions being the only things shown.
• Good Old Fisticuffs: Leo and Raph literally wrestle on the ground as opposed to doing like, ninja stuff. This indicates that their fight was another case of Sibling Rivalry and not particularly serious (also shown in that they get distracted from it pretty quickly). Leo is also clearly winning the fight.
• Honor Before Reason: Leonardo briefly tries to stop Raphael from going against Splinter's orders of leaving the lair. As soon as the Mouser that Donatello rebuild escapes, he follows Raphael's way of leaving the lair as well.
• Hubcap Hovercraft: The Sewer Slider has a hover feature with the wheels rotating 90 degrees.
• I Heard That: As soon as Splinter left the room, Michelangelo does the pose and imitation of his quote.

  Mikey: "We will resume your training in the morning."

  Splinter: I heard that.

• I'm Taking Her Home with Me!: Mikey, about April at the end of the episode:

  "Can I keep her?"

• Implied Death Threat: Stockman gives one to April.

  Stockman: Suffice it to say that my army of Mousers will make me a very rich and powerful man.
  April: But, aren't you already a very rich and powerful man?
  Stockman: Ah, Miss O'Neill, so brilliant yet so naïve. I will truly miss working with you.
  April: What? You mean I'm fired?
  Stockman: In a... manner of speaking.

• Instantly Proven Wrong: Don proudly announces that he has shut off the Mouser's jaw servos which means the Mousers deadly jaws won't work, only to be proven wrong immediately.

  Mike: Just curious, Don. What's to stop old turbo jaws from munching up another six point two on the Richter scale?
  Don: I shut down his jaw servos. It couldn't even chew through a stick of gum.
  (Mouser stops and chomps through pipes)
  Raph: You were saying?
  Don: But I... I'm sure I shut it down. (Looks defeated)
  Mike: Aww, Don's finally lost his techno mojo. It's sad really.

• In the Back: Stockman grabs April with a giant claw and drop her to the Mousers. Ironically, he has a remote control behind his back to control it.
• Jerkass Has a Point: As insufferable and smug as he is, Stockman is correct to point out to Shredder that the test run, regardless of success or failure, was meant, first and foremost, to expose design flaws in the Mousers that would be addressed in the next batch. As Shredder only focuses on the fact that the test failed, Stockman remarks he would make a lousy scientist for expecting perfection on the first try and not recognizing the benefits of trial and error.
• Let's You and Him Fight: The first time◊ Leo and Raph fight against each other. Though it's just briefly before they noticed the Mouser than Don rebuild to follow them to Stockman has convinced the two into working together.
• Mythology Gag: Mike asks his brothers if he can keep April, like in the first Live-Action movie.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Raphael was a little too into destroying the mousers that he didn't register Donatello telling everyone to leave at least one of them intact so they could find the source.
• Right Behind Me: April attempts on finding out what Stockman is planning to do with the Mousers.

  April: Rat problem, my eye. What are you really up to, Stockman?

  Stockman: Now now, Ms. O'Neil. That would be telling.

• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Against Splinter's orders, Raph tried to sneak out to stop Stockman, only for Leo to arrive and stop him. After seeing Don and Mikey following the Mouser to its source, Raph asks if he's gonna let it get away so Leo has no choice but to pursue it as well.

  Raph: So you're just gonna let that Mouser roam free?

  Leo: Master Splinter is so gonna kill us. Well, are you coming or what?

  Raph: If you insist...

• Second Episode Introduction: For April and Stockman.
• She Knows Too Much: Now that April knows of his plot, Stockman sends his Mousers after her.
• Skilled, but Naive:

  April: But aren't you already a very rich and powerful man?

  Stockman: Ah, Ms. O'Neil, so brilliant yet so naive.

• Shoot the Television: Raph angrily punches out a TV screen showing Stockman's face with his sai.
• Shout-Out/ Hurricane of Puns: Mikey and Don saying the name of their new place.
• Sound-Only Death: The Turtles are shocked to see a Mouser chewing on the mouse off-screen.
• Tempting Fate: When Raph threatens Leo of fighting him to get pass through him:

  Raph: Look, I'll go through you if I have to.

  Leo: I'd like to see you try, hothead!

• Vehicle Vanish: The mouser the Ninja Turtles were following pulls this as a subway train gets between itself and the Turtles. Leo spots the Mouser holding onto back rail of the train.

  Mike: Whoa, robo Houdini!
  Leo: Wrong, robo hitchhiker!

• What the Hell, Hero?: Leo and Raph call each other out for trying to leave the lair and trying to stop him from dealing with Stockman, respectively.
  • Earlier on, Splinter calls out Raph for his attempt of leaving the lair to deal with Stockman.
  • Before long, Raph asks Leo if he's allowing the Mouser to get away as soon as it leaves the lair. This finally convinced him to leave the lair as well to follow the Mouser.
• Why Don't You Marry It?: Raph's opinion on Donnie saying how the Mousers they fought against are becoming more powerful.
• You Can Run, but You Can't Hide:

  Stockman: You can run, Ms. O'Neil, but you cannot hide from my Mousers.

• You Watch Too Much X: While Michelangelo is complaining of wall-crawling based on one of the characters, Leonardo says this.

  Leonardo: You read way too many comic books.

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