While there have been quite a few animated TV shows featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it's the 1987 series that is remembered alot more. With that being due to the fact that for many myself included it was the show that not only introduced them to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but it was also the version of the characters that they grew up with and since it's really been a while since I last reviewed an episode of the show I thought that now was the right time to take another look at an episode from the classic series and sot then join me as I review as the episode that sees Raphael break the fourth wall with the episode in question being called simply just "Plan Six From Outer Space" enjoy.
The plot of this episode is when The Shredder and Krang send Bebop and Rocksteady down to earth from Dimension X to help get them the Channel 6 news building so that they can use it's equipment to get back to earth it's up to the turtles to stop them and there robotic Splinter before it's far to late. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad but at the same time tho this episodes plot wasn't all that particularly good either as all it was was basically just a set up for the "Vacations In Europe" episodes which where produced for season 4 and take place during season 4 but didn't air until season 7 with this episodes plot being something that is solid enough for this era of the show but at the same time tho given that the live action movie had just came out and had shown kid audiences what a more mature take on the turtles could look like it's weird that this show would just go straight back to sticking with what worked before it with this episode as while yes granted this episode and this season would have been produced sometime before the movie there still should have been some effort to tell a more mature story but do it in a way that works with the 1987 series with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Starring in this episode is Cam Clarke as Leonardo and Rocksteady and Barry Gordon as Donatello and Bebop. Also starring in this episode is Rob Paulsen as Raphael and The Clothing Store Owner , Townsend Coleman as Michelangelo Peter Renaday as Splinter / Pretendicon Splinter and Vernon Fenwick , Renae Jacobs as April O'Neil , Pat Fraley as Krang , Burne Thompson , The Channel 6 Security Guard and The Channel 6 Job Interviewer and James Avery as The Shredder and Punk With Knife.
Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. Which is something that's to be expected at this point in time as all of this episodes had been playing there respective characters for the best part of four years at the point in time and there for it would make alot of sense that they really would know how best to perform there characters as well with this really being helped by the fact that all of this episodes actors are a bunch of really good actors in there own right and therefor would be turn in a good performance anyways with even the likes of both Rob Paulsen and Townsend Coleman being voice acting legends with this episode really being a tour de force for actors Cam Clarke and Barry Gordon with both of them really being the true standouts of the episode from an acting point of view as both actors have alot of screen time and really have to carry the whole entire episode as both Bebop and Rocksteady something that surely couldn't have been a really easy task to do from an acting perspective with this episodes really being helped by the fact that the script for this episode is just so good that all this episodes actors really have to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance really will come out of them naturally something which does really help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.
Doing the animation for this episode is either Hanho Heung-Up Company , Island Animation , Luk Film , Pacific Rim Production , Varga Studio and Wang Film Productions Company. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good as even tho it was hard to say which animation company actually did the animation for this episode the quality of the animation was still really high a a late eighties or early nineties TV show and while the animation could have been alot more better in other places there really wasn't any of the series trademark animation errors that plagues the first few episodes of this show but at the same time this episodes animation also quite clearly wasn't the series best looking animation as alot of it just felt like that the animators where just putting only the bare minimum and really nothing more then that as there are shots in this episode where the characters either look like that there on dr*gs or are dead inside and those are issues that really could have been fixed if the artist working on them at the time did another drawing of the scene in question and by the fact that they didn't does say that the whoever was doing the animation whilst they were doing a good job in some places weren't doing a good job in other places as well.
In what was a really strange and bizarre move this episode actually sees Raphael break the fourth wall at least twice in the episode. With the first one being a little bit more subtle as after saying something about a sausage factor he then asks for no one to ask him to say that again but the second one is just straight up not subtle as it's just him having a rant about the writer of the episode not coming up with something original for the turtles to do other then look for pepperoni which just felt so out of place not only for this show but for the character as well as while they were some really funny things to have the character say in the episode neither the character nor the show had really broken the fourth wall yet and as a result of that is the fact that it was strange to see the opening episode of the fourth season of this show do exactly that and while the first one was a bit more subtle as it could be read as the character asking his brothers not to ask him say something that is a it of tongue twister but the second instance is without the shadow of a doubt the character breaking the fourth wall and it's something that really fits this character as this version of the character wouldn't do something like that as neither he nor any of the other characters in this show no that there fictional characters and while it is something that this show could do due to it's more lighthearted approach to the source material and characters from a character point of view it's not something that really makes a whole lot of sense in anyway shape or form.
As was mentioned at the start of this review this episode this episode basically serves as the start for the "Vacations In Europe" episodes from season seven. As the turtles have a few scenes spread throughout the episode where they express there desire to take a vacation somewhere in europe something that they do get to do at the end of episode and yet even tho those batch of thirteen episodes where produced for and are set during this season of the show they for some strange reason aired during the shows seventh season which makes no sense as now this season is without a hook for the rest of the season when it would have made perfect sense to have them air right after this episode and as this episode and a batch of other episodes from this season aired in syndication then the makers of this show could have had them air daily for about a month or two before then going to back to the rest of the episodes that were planned for this season instead of creating a mixed chronology of events where now certain episodes that aired during season 7 now actually took place three years prior to the rest of the season and while they could fix that by having story beats that are payed of in season 7 first get mentioned and set up during those holiday episodes that's not really something that this show had done before now and as a result of that is the fact that it wouldn't make sense for them to do for these batch of episodes either when all they had to do was just air those holiday episodes the day after this episode first aired in syndication.
While this episode does introduce the idea of the turtles having to fight of some sort of clone version of Splinter. The episode really doesn't go all they way with it by having the real Splinter not only meet his robotic self but also have a fight with him or even have the turtles discuss the idea of fighting who they believe to be there father something that would have brought them alot of pain to do and yet the second that the fake Splinter starts acting hostile towards them there ready to go into an fight with him which does seem out of character even for this version of the characters and yet if the makers of this show even took the time to have the turtles discuss if they really should be fighting Splinter first before then going to attack him then it would show that while yes they are willing to fight him there doing it because of the fact that it's right thing to do even tho it's something that could be killing them inside and even if they didn't go that route and instead went the route of having both versions of Splinter meet up either in New York City itself or even in the layer and have those two fight that is something that could be alot of fun for us the audience to watch and it would give Splinter something to do other then show up every now and then which is something that does end up happening in this episode either one would have worked because it would have been using that idea of having a robotic Splinter be used in the right way instead of having the character appear in what could be seen as being some really comedic scenes and that's really it.
Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty two minuets and twenty six seconds. Which is a really solid running time for this episode to have as this episode really does have the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time but at the same time tho this episodes running time really isn't used all that wisely as the plot of the episode really isn't as fully developed as it really could have been so much so that this episodes does feel more like an afterthought in favor of setting up a bunch of episodes that wouldn't air until three years later with the same thing also being true for the idea of having a robot clone version of Splinter as the episode really does nothing with him out of having a few comedic scenes early one and having him fight the turtles at the local zoo and that's really it and when the idea is that good and has that much potential behind it then there really should have been alot more thought and effort put into it to make seem like it's being used to fullest potential with the episode instead choosing to show us more of Bebop and Rocksteady and their comedy antics at the Channel Six news building which granted is related to the main plot but at the same time we're just getting the same scene over and over again with the two characters bumbling there way into a situation band somehow not only getting promoted but scoring high ratings as well and there's only so long that you can see that type of scene before it starts to get old and boring which is something that does happen quite fast in this very episode but I really will admit that this very episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.
So now then as this an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us un this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. As alot of this show action is usually pretty goofy and lighthearted with the focus more being on the comedy aspect of things then the action side of the things and while the same thing is also true here as well this episodes action just felt off somehow like it was a bit to goofy and was playing things a bit to safe which is still fine as this is a kids show after all but at the same given that this episode has two action scenes and it's oddly enough the one with the robot clone version of Splinter that's more fun to watch then the actual final fight with Bebop and Rocksteady as at least with the Splinter fight we do get see the turtles fighting in public and using a van as a weapon and we get to see the turtles be forced to think on there feet to try and get even so much as hit in on him which does make that fight scene all the more fun to watch where as with the Bebop and Rocksteady fights it's confined to this one small room with the turtles not even having to try very hard to outwit either Bebop or Rocksteady which just makes that fight comes across as feeling forced and is also a fight scene that could also be seen as also being really rushed as all heck as well as it's one that only happens in quite literally the final few minuets of the show which just makes it all the more worse out of this episode two action scenes in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall whilst this episode gets it's title from one of the worst films ever made this episode is actually not that bad but at the same it's quite clearly not all that good either as it just gives the same stuff that worked before in the show with nothing really new added it and that is something that does hold this episode back from being a great episode to watch for both kids and adults as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now the i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a gran old score of exactly a 6 out of 10 from me.
Now then as for where I personally got all of the images hat I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images hat I personally used in this very review from the official Teenage Mutant Nin ja Turtles fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.