The Turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey have narrowly survived the explosion of the antique shop by getting out of the closet door. As a result, they have to make shelter at Casey's grandmother's farmhouse. With Leo down, the Turtles tell them of their experiences with him to get him back.
Meanwhile, Stockman, without his legs, right eye, left hand and with a broken neck, is sent to find proof of the turtle's death, but can find no valid evidence.
This episode provides examples of:
- Batman Gambit: How Splinter helped Leo get over his acrophobia. He pretended to be in danger of a fall to force Leo into action, but he could've saved himself at any time.
- Break the Cutie: April is reduced to tears over the destruction of her home and business.
- Call-Forward: During Donatello's story, he accidentally crashes a toy car into the water. Leo remarks he should never let Don behind the wheel of a real car. In the first episode, Don drives a truck and unsurprisingly proves quite bad at it.
- Continuity Nod: Stockman's previous failure is revealed to leave him with a broken neck, a missing arm, and in a wheelchair.
- Converse with the Unconscious: Pretty much the entire A-plot
- "Eureka!" Moment: Stockman gets the idea to fake some evidence when one of his Mousers finds a bandana.
- Foreshadowing: Casey mentions how he used to play with his Cousin Sid at the farm. Sid later shows up on the farm several seasons later in a much less friendly manner.
- Genre Blindness: Despite being Genre Savvy enough not to trust Hun's assurance that the Turtles couldn't possibly have survived, completely trusting Stockman to investigate was an obvious oversight on Shredder's part.
- Hypocritical Humor: After Mikey criticizes the condition of the farmhouse, Casey reminds him he lives in a sewer.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Raph continuues to insult Leo, until he breaks down himself, revealing that it is just an act and deep down he does care for his brother.
- Make Sure He's Dead: Recalling that the Turtles also assumed him dead without bothering to check, Saki orders Stockman to go back to the remains of April's shop and find evidence that they died in the blaze. Unfortunately, he finds no proof that the turtles died. So he decides to do the next best thing and makes some proof.
- Manly Tears: Raph as he begins to recall his experience with Leo.
- Narrator: Shredder's first time.
- Never Found the Body: Shredder is aware of this trope and tells Stockman to search the remains of the shop in order to find the Turtles' bodies.
- Oh, Crap!: Stockman finds no conclusive evidence that anyone died in the explosion. He dreads the idea of having to go back to Shredder with nothing.
- Once More, with Clarity: The episode proper starts with showing how the heroes managed to escape the storeroom before the antique shop exploded.
- Skewed Priorities: In Don's story about Leo, after Leo saves Don from almost drowning, the first thing he says to Leo is "you didn't get the car?" instead of thanking him for saving his life. Leo just gives him a look of shock in response.
- The Spartan Way: In Splinter's story it's revealed that Leonardo as a child was suffering from a fear of heights. Splinter brings him to the top of a gigantic reservoir and pretends to be in danger of falling. Leonardo forces himself to crawl out and save him, and apparently conquers his fear in the process.
- The Starscream: Stockman descends into this level at the end.
- Tactical Withdrawal: Leonardo needs a safe place to recover in, but with the Foot still swarming the sewers, going back to the lair isn't an option. The Turtles and company are forced to retreat to a farm owned by Casey's family.
- We Need to Get Proof: Saki orders Dr. Stockman to find evidence that the Turtles are dead, but fails to find any. Not wanting to face him empty-handed, Stockman forges some for his boss.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The parts with the turtles and Splinter as they remember the times they had with Leo several years prior to the series' beginning.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In Splinter's story, Leonardo develops an extreme case of acrophobia that he must overcome.
- You Have Failed Me: Discussed. Stockman fakes evidence in part because he fears going back empty-handed after being so boastful earlier."I... I can't go back to Shredder with nothing."
