Donnie's Gifts

**"Donnie's Gifts"** is the third episode (Episode 2B) of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It first aired on September 17th, 2018.

## Characters

* Donatello (Josh Brener)
* Leonardo (Ben Schwartz)
* Meat Sweats (John Lydon)
* Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith)
* Raphael (Omar Benson Miller)

## Plot

During a patrol in the night streets of New York, the Turtles have come across a mutant silverfish, which is just on the prowl for laundry to consume. Instead, Raphael, in his attempts to flatten the silverfish, increases the problem, since every silverfish he smashes with his mystic tonfas splits in two . Because he and his brothers Michelangelo and Leonardo fool around during the fight, rather than keeping an eye on their opponents, the silverfish are beginning to gain the upper hand. Only when Donatello, the only serious one in the encounter, gets fed up and steps in to clean up the mess his brothers have caused, does the tide turn and the Silverfish retreat.

Donatello presents his brothers with some new gear for them to help them "get a little bit more in the wings": a helmet for Raph, a jumpsuit for Mikey, and a collar for Leo. However, before he can start with a demonstration of their capacity, a loud squeak lures the Turtles to a nearby alley behind the restaurant Chateau Prétenche, there they see a grotesque pig-like figure catching the silverfish they had just evicted in a sack, and then retreating to the New York Underground with his prey.

The Turtles follow the mutant, whom they mockingly called "Meat Sweats", to an abandoned subway station, where they witness that he wants to prepare the silverfish into a "gourmet" meal. Using a striking phrase ("Unleash the flavor!"), Mikey recognizes the mutant as Rupert Swaggart, a prominent chef who was stung by an Oozesquito in the midst of a live broadcast of his show and was transformed into a mutant. Then the Turtles witness how the mutant chef absorbs the mutant abilities from the silverfish by touch of his tendrils.

Meat Sweats' sharp nose picks up their scent. Armed with his meat tenderizer, Meat Sweats begins to search his hiding place for the invaders. Raph bravely faces him, but when he attacks, he is distracted by a voice that suddenly sounds from his helmet and advises him to form a plan. Meat Sweats takes the opportunity to strike back; but when Raph meets him with his tonfas, Meat Sweats then splits apart like the mutant silverfish. Now confronted with an army of Mini-Meats, Donnie is suddenly captured in the chaos, and his "presents" unfavorably activating in the midst of battle; Mikey's suit then inflates whenever he tries to perform reckless acrobatics and Leo's collar shocks him every time he says a terrible pun.

When the three Turtles are separated from their enemies by a passing subway and thus get a little breathing space, they decide to give their opinion to Donnie about his "gifts". Raph calls him, but can't bring himself to insult the gifts, aware that Donnie worked hard on them. But the call is interrupted because right now, Meat Sweats, who has regrouped, is preparing to use Donnie for his next meal. To save Donnie, Raph, Leo and Mikey realise they can play their respective personal quirks that Donnie wanted to discipline in the ensuing fight.

Back in Meat Sweats' hideout, Raph grabs his imprisoned brother while the mutant villain's back is turned. He then follows them, only for Leo to stuff his electric collar in his underpants and activates it with his witty slogans. As Meat Sweats takes advantage of a moment of inattention to knock Leo to the ground, Mikey swings down to Meat Sweats and bounces him repeatedly in his inflated suit. Raphael intervenes and, with his helmet as a boxing glove, knocks the villain in front of the bow of the next passing subway. They joke to Donnie that his gifts did make them even stronger in battle. Donnie, at first irritated by how his brothers misused their gifts, then admits that he still loves them as they are, and invites a hug. As the Turtles embrace, the A.I. voice that alerts the activation of Mikey's inflatable suit speaks, ending the episode abruptly.

## Trivia

* Despite claims that Donnie's gifts are embarassing and painful, Donnie was about to explain how they work right when the fight with Meat Sweats interrupts him, proving that he did not intend to cause offence or pain to his brothers.
* Leo's collar is similar to a shock collar, a device used to help train a dog.
* Mikey's suit is similar to the flight suit made by Disney's Professor Ludwig von Drake.
* A scene was cut, in which the turtles asked Donnie why he doesn't make up for his own weaknesses with technology and he points out that he *does* with his Battle-Shell.