Leonardo returns to New York, only to find the Lair destroyed and his family missing. As he follows their movements he must piece together what happened and find his brothers and Master Splinter.
This episode provides examples of
- Badass Boast: Subverted. As Leo subjects her to a Curb-Stomp Battle right after she makes it.Leo: So, you are the new Shredder.
Karai: [putting on the helmet] Yes, and I am your doom! - Big Brother Instinct: "And Karai, stay AWAY from my FAMILY!"
- Big Damn Reunion: Leo reuniting with his family members one by one after several months away, and several months before that of Took a Level in Jerkass. The warmth of the reunions indicates to his family and to viewers that He's Back!
- Bittersweet Ending: Leo is back to his old self and the protagonists get a new lair, but it's clear that Karai won't heed his warning to leave them alone.
- Call-Back: Leo decapitates the Oroku Saki statue, just like he decapitated the Shredder's exosuit in "Return to New York Part 3".
- The Cameo: Leo got Angel to pose as a pizza delivery girl in order to send a message to April.
- Continuity Nod:
- A minor one occurs between Leo and Mikey's cat, Klunk. In "Dragons Rising" Klunk approaches Leo in a friendly manner, but Leo is spiraling into Knight Templar-hood, and abruptly ignores him. In this episode, when Leo finds a sleeping Mikey, Klunk initially spits and snarls at Leo. Now that He's Back! to his old self, the turtle's face softens and he strokes Klunk gently, at which point the cat realizes who he is and purrs appreciatively.
- Leo references the events of "City at War, Part 3", when he fought alongside Karai, and told her she was nothing like the Shredder because she understood honor.
- Cruel Mercy: The look on Karai's face when Leo spares her demonstrates she considers this a bigger insult than being cut down in battle.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Leo effortlessly defeats Karai due to him being focused and her being consumed with revenge. She doesn't land a single hit.
- Evolving Credits:
- The line "Watch out for Shredder" reappears after being dropped at the beginning of the season, but is now said by Karai.
- The Turtles are no longer "living underground," so that line has been replaced by "never let us down."
- Since their primary vehicles were destroyed in the previous episode, shots of them have been replaced by ones of new vehicles.
- Eyes Never Lie: Splinter can tell by looking into Leonardo's eyes that he's back to his old self and that he wants to face Karai alone.
- Fury-Fueled Foolishness: Previous fights between Leo and Karai had them relatively even in skill. But here, she's so Blinded by Rage over trying to get revenge that the emotionally stabilized Leonardo easily disarms and defeats her without taking a single hit.Leonardo: Your own anger defeats you, Karai. You remind me of a turtle I once knew.
- Get It Over With: After she's beaten and on her knees, Karai tells Leonardo to just finish it already. Leo refuses, instead giving her one last chance and warning her to not waste it.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: A very subtle one occurs with Karai. Normally she wears pink lipstick, but for this episode she wears red lipstick, symbolizing her crossover into evil when she believed she's killed the Turtles. After Leo defeats her the next time we see her she's gone back to the pink lipstick, showing she's not so evil and such a threat anymore. Although she still holds a grudge against the Turtles and has a surveillance van parked outside April’s place until the next season.
- He's Back!: When Splinter looks into Leo's eyes he can tell that his son is his old self once again.
- He's Just Hiding: In-Universe. Leo's reaction to Karai's claim that the other turtles and Splinter was dead.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Raph admits to Leo that he was worried that the others didn't make it, and he's relieved when told they did. Once at the new lair, though, he cops an uncaring attitude to save face.
- Humiliation Conga: Karai is effortlessly beaten by the Turtle she hates the most, is spared by him rather than killed, and then sees him behead the statue of her beloved father.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: Leo spends the first part of his fight with Karai with only one sword drawn as he tries to talk her down. But when it becomes clear she won't listen to reason, he draws his second blade and effortlessly defeats her.
- Last-Second Chance: Before departing, Leo offers Karai one."I'm granting you one last chance to do the right thing, Karai. Don't waste it."
- Little "No": Leo when he sees what's become of the lair.
- My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours: A meta example - while Splinter and the turtles are all competent fighters, Leo (Strong and Skilled and considered the strongest in the family) seeks them out in order from weakest to strongest. He first searches for Don, Weak, but Skilled and with an injured Splinter in tow, then Mikey, who is Skilled, but Naive, along with his cat Klunk. Finally, Leo searches for Raph, who is considered Strong, but Unskilled, but who is probably closer to Strong and Skilled by this point in the series. Splinter and Don are both injured and Don is struggling to walk, while Mikey is mildly injured but disoriented, and Raph, found last of all, is perfectly okay and mostly bored, annoyed, and worried about the others.
- Although, to be fair, the circumstances also affected their states. Don, who is the most injured, had to support an injured Splinter, who is about half his size (the previous episode showed Don had to carry Splinter on his shoulders using both his arms to support him, leaving him to rely mostly on his legs for combat). Mike, on the other hand, is protecting Klunk, who is tiny enough to be able to fit in one hand, meaning, at any given point, Mike can use one hand and/or one nunchuck along with his legs to fight the Foot. Raph, on the other hand is alone, which allows him to go all out against his opponents and once he fakes his death, he manages to hitch a ride all the way to Coney Island, giving him enough time to rest and regain his strength.
- Mythology Gag: Leo cutting off the head of the Oroku Saki statue. In the original Mirage comics, that's how Leo finished him. He also cut the Shredder's head off in Return to New York, Part 3 earlier.
- Number Two: A minor example, but as soon as Leo and Raph reunite, Raph does a mini Exposition Dump of everything that's happened, ending with fear for the others' safety. Neither Donnie nor Mikey, or even Splinter, did any of this, showing Raph's sense of responsibility for the family while Leo was away and essentially handing the reins back over to Leo.
- Oh, Crap!: Karai has this reaction, first when Leo destroys her Shredder helmet and mask and immediately after that, when he slices through her walkie-talkie as she desperately tries to call security.
- Once More, with Clarity: When Leo tracks his sensei and brothers, flashback scenes show again the attacks that "killed" them and how did they survive.
- The first flashback reveals before the Shell Sub was destroyed, Donnie and Splinter escaped with an oxygen tank to swim to the surface once the coast was clear.
- The second flashback shows that Mikey and Kluh ejected out of the Turtle Tunneler before the missile hit it and hid down a tunnel to escape the Foot Mech.
- The third flashback reveals that before the before the Battle Shell was hit the missile, Raph bailed out in his Shell Cycle then raced to a bridge to take a train Coney Island to lay low.
- Properly Paranoid: The second she learns they've lost the unit left at the lair, Karai knows Leonardo has returned to the city.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Defied. Leonardo goes after Karai—not to kill her for what she's done, but simply to beat her and warn her to never try to harm his family again.
- Shout-Out: Mikey makes a reference to The Wizard of Oz when Leo finds him.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Leo to Karai during their fight."I remember when we first met, Karai. We fought side-by-side, and I said you were nothing like your father. I thought you understood honor, but I was wrong. You're exactly like him. You understand nothing!"
- They Really Do Love Each Other: Leo and Raph often have a contentious relationship, and Leo's Knight Templar phase this season didn't exactly help, but their reunion is actually more comfortable and affectionate than all the others - though it might have helped that Raph was basically the only other turtle fully moving under his own power.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Ahead of the big fight.Leo: You have gone too far this time, Karai.
Karai: Not far enough, not until you lie battered and broken at my feet. Only then will my father truly be avenged! Make no mistake, Leonardo, son of Splinter, hated enemy of my father: your path ends here! - Thou Shalt Not Kill: Leo was never going to kill Karai for what she's done; he just wanted to make a point that she needs to back off. On the other hand, he makes it clear he's not going to give her any more warnings in the future.
- Took a Level in Badass: Splinter warns Leonardo that Karai's already considerable skills are much improved. Leo says that his are, too, and he proves it during the fight.
- Trail Of Breadcrumbs: Leo tracks down his family by following their footprints, the wreckage of their vehicles and the items they leave in their wake.
- Worthy Opponent: Karai is rather impressed that Leo was able to infiltrate her headquarters."Security is very tight and yet here you are undetected."
