Bishop calls the Turtles for help: someone is trying to get rid of him, and if he goes the Pan-Galactic Alliance falls apart too. For the sake of the world the Turtles must protect Bishop and find out who's after him, before it's too late.
This episode provides examples of
- Armor-Piercing Question: Leo to Stockman when talking to him about how Bishop's changed and made the world a better place."Are you a monster or a man? Do you wanna use your skills to destroy or, like Bishop, can you see a way to create something?"
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Bishop's entire view of aliens changed because a former captive saved his life. He admits he tried to pretend it was just a fluke, but he couldn't stop thinking about it, so it slowly caused a change of heart.
- Call-Back: All the way to Season 1, with the Organic Mousers.
- Leo's Armor-Piercing Question unknowingly calls back to Stockman regretting never living up to his true potential.
- Dark Secret: Bishop's past is this to the Pan-Galactic Alliance at large.
- Didn't See That Coming: The captive alien saving Bishop's life instead of killing him when he had every right to exact his revenge for everything Bishop had done to him.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Subverted with Bishop, though he admits that it took time for it to stick. When shown mercy by one of his captive aliens, Bishop found his entire view of extraterrestrials challenged. He tried to block the incident out of his mind but ultimately was forced to face the fact that aliens were just as capable of being good as humans were, leading him to eventually pulling a Heel–Face Turn.
- Flashback: Of Bishop's history and why he changed.
- Heel–Face Turn: The episode is devoted to showing that Bishop truly has changed—a result of one of his alien captives showing him mercy instead of exacting revenge. The ending shows Stockman has also changed.
- Lampshade Hanging: Raph again finds the future to be a strange place."I just don't get this place. Bishop's a good guy, we save our arch-villain, Baxter Stockman, from becoming a crispy critter, and giant Mousers are gonna work on a farm?! The future gives me a headache!"
- Left for Dead: Stockman, about 50 years before the events of this episode, leading to a desire for revenge, though the actual circumstances make his grudge against Bishop somewhat unjustified. Bishop had tried to save him but got pinned under rubble before he could reach him.
- Misplaced Retribution: Stockman is under the belief that Bishop had outright abandoned him in a lab disaster 50 years ago, glossing over the fact that Bishop had made an effort to save him only to get pinned under a falling mechanical arm.
- Pet the Dog: Literally and figuratively. Bishop saves Stockman's life and gently taps his eye while holding him.
- Revenge: Stockman'sreason for attacking Bishop. He also doesn't mind settling his score against the Turtles, either.
- Save the Villain: The alien test subject in the flashback rescues Bishop from the exploding lab. Bishop rescues Stockman from the collapsing lair.
- The Slow Path: Stockman got to 2105 this way, thanks to grafting alien DNA to his brain.
- Small Role, Big Impact: The alien that saved Bishop's life is unnamed and gets no dialogue, but the status quo of 2105 is the result of his actions.
- Strapped to an Operating Table: Stockman does this to Bishop with the intention of implanting his brain into Bishop's body.
- Taught by Television: Mikey pretends to be a bull fighter and prompts an Organic Mouser to charge him by taunting it with a red drape. He figures it always works on cartoons, so it should work for him.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Stockman finally gets a happy ending.
- What You Are in the Dark: The captive alien could've killed Bishop or left him to die, and no one would have known. Instead, he chose to save Bishop.
- You Monster!: Leo points out that in Bishop's world, nobody's considered a monster based on their appearance, only based on how they act, and asks Stockman if he wants to use his inventions to create or destroy. Stockman later chooses to create after Bishop, being the changed man he is in Fast Forward, rescues him to make up for his failure to save him some time in the past, which no doubt led to his redemption.
