Bat in the Belfry

Bat in the Belfry
Season 4, Episode 19

Airdate	September 11, 2016
Writter	Eugene Son
Director	Alan Wan
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Prev. Mutant Gangland	Next The Super Shredder

Bat in the Belfry is the 19th episode of Season 4 and the 97th episode overall.

Nana nana nana nana, WING-NUT!

Official Description[]

Michelangelo befriends some odd, new superheroes named Wingnut and Screwloose.

Plot[]

In the Turtles' lair, Mikey, Raph, and Leo argue over which comics are better, while in Donnie's lab, he is analyzing April, who's been experiencing some headaches and strange nightmares about outer space. As Mikey joins them, Donnie believes that April's crystal from the Aeons is causing her headaches and wants to look at it, but April swats his arm away, demanding he back off as it is her crystal. When Mikey suggests she's being overly-possessive of her crystal, she is able to somehow agree to part with it for Donnie to look at.

As Donnie takes a look at it with his space bo staff from Professor Honeycutt, he causes the crystal to release some sort of spectral apparition that flies through Mikey and disappears, drawing the attention of Leo and Raph. Putting it out of their minds for the time being, Mikey returns to his room to talk about his favorite comic with Ice Cream Kitty, before being told that Splinter wants to see him. After Mikey leaves with Ice Cream Kitty, the apparition reappears and disappears into Mikey's comic book.

On the surface, Casey is bored out of his mind as he rides his bike, before noticing several citizens running for their lives. He goes to investigate, only to find himself face to face with a giant eyeball monster. Taking a picture to send to the Turtles, Mikey recognizes it as the monster from his Wingnut comic book, Monoculus. Casey is able to hold his own until the Turtles show up, but after all of them are overpowered by Monoculus, April steps up, armed with her Aeon crystal. Donnie is stunned she took it from his lab, but April once again counters that it's hers and she needs it. With its help, she is able to destroy Monoculus with just her Tessen fan, but afterwards wonders what was up with that thing. Mikey reveals that it must have come from his comic book as the image of Monoculus is gone from one page and April's Aeon crystal must have brought it to life. Donnie agrees that April needs to return to his lab to look over her Aeon crystal more to see what's up with it, but while April, Donnie, Raph, and Leo return to the lair, Mikey and Casey remain behind as Mikey is inspired to bring Wingnut and his sidekick, Screwloose, to life as well with April's Aeon crystal.

Arriving back in the lair, Mikey sneaks into Donnie's lab, and with him asleep, switches April's Aeon crystal and escapes. Showing it to Casey, Mikey attempts to bring Wingnut and Screwloose to life, but nothing seems to happen. As Mikey and Casey soon get into an argument, the Aeon crystal soon begins to glow and crackle, and after knocking Mikey and Casey off their feet with a sudden burst of energy, when it fades, there stands Wingnut and Screwloose, in the flesh.

As Mikey tries to get their attention, in Wingnut's eyes, he mistakes Mikey for one of his arch-enemies that escaped from prison, and attacks him and Casey. Only when he tries to un-mask Mikey does Wingnut realize he's real and apologizes. On Casey and Mikey's suggestion, Wingnut and Screwloose agree to patrol NYC with them, with Mikey taking on his Tur-fly-tle appearance again to do so.

Back in the lair, Donnie is awoken as a furious April tears his lab apart looking for her Aeon crystal, blaming him for losing it after she gave it back to him to analyze. Donnie becomes concerned about April's behavior, but as she becomes more livid, Splinter arrives with Leo and Raph and tries to calm her down, saying she relies too much on her Aeon crystal and is using it as a crutch. April tries to deny this, but it is clear that she is seriously rattled without her Aeon crystal. As Leo and Raph realize Mikey must have it, they attempt to contact him.

Meanwhile, when Mikey and Casey accidentally confess to how Wingnut and Screwloose are just comic book characters after battling another of Wingnut's arch-villains in Skullface McGillin, they overhear Mikey and Casey stating about Wingnut and Screwloose being from the comic and end up revealing how much of their history that they know. When accused to being associated with their enemy Captain Confusion, Mikey reveals April's Aeon crystal to them, they immediately become obsessed with it and try to take it. When they succeed, the energy from the crystal causes them to become more animalistic, easily overpowering Casey and Mikey before fleeing with the crystal. As Mikey and Casey give pursuit and call the others to tell them, April overhears everything and snaps at Mikey in fury for taking her crystal. Tracking Wingnut and Screwloose to a church tower, Casey and Mikey try to confront them and get the crystal back before they are joined by the others on the Turtle Blimp. Even with the increased numbers, Wingnut and Screwloose prove too powerful, until April, obsessed with getting her crystal back from Wingnut, hits the church bell with the garbage cannon, causing it to ring, which results in Wingnut and Screwloose covering their ears in pain.

Getting an idea, Mikey goes up to ring the bell again. The ultrasonic noise the bell makes as it rings is too much for Wingnut and Screwloose to handle, and on Donnie's guidance, April is able to focus her psychic powers to retrieve her Aeon crystal from Wingnut, and begin taking back the energy that caused their transformation, calming her down now that she had her crystal back.

As Wingnut and Screwloose come to the realization that they have to go back to their comic book world, they apologize for everything they put the Turtles, April, and Casey through, before April has the honor of returning them home, much to Mikey's sadness after being able to fight crime alongside them.

However, while Leo, Raph, and Casey comfort Mikey, Donnie speaks to April about going back to his lab to analyze her Aeon crystal more, but April refuses. As Donnie looks on with concern, April once again says the Aeon crystal is hers, and no one is taking it away from her, ever again...

Debuts[]

Splinter's Wisdom[]

Trivia[]

The episode's title is similar to the first episode of the 2004 Batman animated series, "The Bat in the Belfry".

The episode is littered with references to the Golden Age comic and 1960's live action TV series Batman and Robin.
The Aeon crystal's effect on April is more prominent in this episode.
Donatello talks in his sleep, saying names of chemicals.