Danny: Your mother!
Vlad: My mother is dead, Daniel.
Danny:
Vlad: She shoved me into a closet while saying that we were playing hiding and seek, and me, the oblivious boy I was then, obliged and was excited, not at all questioning that she knew where I was hidden.
Danny: Vlad-
Vlad: Then I watched on helplessly through a crack in the closet door as she was brutally stabbed to death right before my very eyes, terror running through my veins and fear gripping my mouth to keep it closed. I couldn't turn away, as I had a front row seat to each and every scream that they tore from her as blood slowly melted into the carpet.
Danny: Dude-
Vlad: Then I saw the life drain from her eyes and leave nothing behind but an empty husk that once was and the killer standing on top of her body. Before they left, I remember staring at her for an unknown amount of time before the police came and escorted me outside.
Vlad: Sometimes I wonder what difference it would have made if I stepped out of that closet.
Danny:
Vlad:
Danny:
Vlad: Anywho, enough about that. Would you like some cupcakes Daniel?
Danny, disturbed: Uh.... sure....?
Vlad: Great, vanilla or chocolate? Or perhaps lemon with some buttercream?
Danny: Lemon with buttercream please.
Vlad, going to his kitchen: Wonderful, wait one moment.
Danny is currently questioning how the hell a simple your mother joke forced him into a lore dump of his mother's death. On the bright side, at least he'll get some cupcakes out of it?
Dick: So, is your godfather always like this?
No matter what anyone says, Danny did NOT scream because he genuinely forgot that Dick was there, nor would he ever admit to being scared, because he wasn't scared.
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vaggie leaves for the afternoon and comes back to find
charlie- covered in notes written in permanent marker
the walls - covered graph paper
the floor - also covered in graph paper
the graph paper - covered in even more sticky notes
angel dust - lounging on a couch enjoying a drink
Vaggie: "I thought you said you'd watch her."
Angel Dust: "And I AM watchin' her." (sips drink loudly through a party straw) "Your girlfriend's a mess when you're not here, by the way."
Charlie: "VAGGIE YOU'RE BACK oh thank fuck I've had SO many thoughts while you gone and I've tried SO MANY different ways not to forget them before I've told them to you!!!" (grabs vaggie's hand and drags her over) "Look, see? If we start on the bottom left corner of the room and follow my train of thought up the nearest bookshelf-"
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Oh my GOD, I just realized why Donnie acts so weird in Man vs. Sewer. I always thought his behavior was odd in that episode, particularly in his nonchalance towards finding and saving Raph - but I had the most random thought occur to me during work that TOTALLY explains it. I'm sure some people have probably pointed this stuff out already, but I wanted to put this out there anyway.
The episode 'Man-vs-Sewer' is a personal favorite of mine. I love the episodes where the boys are just goofing off, and this episode is that plus some. We see get to see the boys having fun for a bit at the start of the episode, but it also adds a bit more depth to some of the turtles. We see a really surprising side to Raph's character with his fear of being alone, and Leo gets to shine a bit as a leader and hint at his true potential.
However, I was always a bit puzzled by the way Donnie and Mikey were written in this episode. As a rule, Rise is pretty good about keeping its characters, well, in character, so their behavior struck me as kind of strange, particularly Donnie's.
If there is one thing Rise NAILS about Donnie's character is showing that despite struggling with emotions and empathy, he is still NOT AN ASSHOLE. Donnie genuinely and deeply loves his family - he just has a hard time expressing it externally.
'Man-vs-Sewer' kind of stood out to me as an exception to that, however. At this point, Donnie's care for his brothers is an undisputed fact, so why does he seem so unconcerned about finding Raph after being separated? Even for Donnie, this seems like an ooc level of indifference towards the well-being of his brother (at least that's how I saw it).
Except, it isn't. In fact, this episode only reinforces that Donnie does care for his family, it's just a *bit* harder to see here.
One thing many neurodivergent people struggle with is a sudden change in plans. When they expect to do something that day it can be very difficult for some neurodivergent people to deal with it emotionally and can lead to immense frustration or even shutdowns. Since Donnie is confirmed to be, at the very least, autistic coded, this would absolutely apply to him as well.
The turtles planned to have a nice, relaxing day floating along New York's sewers and enjoying a small break from all the stress of finding the Dark Armor. No fighting, no mystic metal, no foot clan. Just a calm day of fun without a care in the world - only for it to be ruined by a bad pass and a lost brother.
I know if my plans were ruined like that, I would be in an absolutely FOUL mood. It can be hard to transition into a different mindset when the expectations for the day change like that, and it can make anyone frustrated, but Donnie doesn't appear to be that way. In fact, he's acting extremely casual.
Even though everything he was going to do today was upended and his brother is now missing in the New York sewers, why does Donnie seem so unconcerned about the whole situation?
Answer: It's a coping mechanism.
It would be very easy for him to be a bit more annoyed and frustrated at the whole situation (I definitely would be), but he isn't. Instead, he avoids getting overwhelmed and emotional by continuing through the day as if nothing has really changed.
The whole time they are finding Raph, Donnie behaves as if they are still on a peaceful, carefree mini-vacation. He makes snide jokes and jabs toward Leo, enjoys the drinks he brought in his shell, and constantly reminds the others that it is his "day off." If he can act as though he's still relaxing, it becomes easier to adjust to unexpected alterations in his day. This isn't Donnie being willfully inconsiderate towards Raph being lost and alone, this is just him trying to manage with the sudden changes the best he can in that moment.
If Donnie really was an uncaring asshole (as some may be inclined to believe given his apparent lack of empathy), he simply would have resumed their original plans, or been more vocally resistant to going after Raph. Instead, he joins his brothers in their search, and although he may not provide the best input for finding Raph because of his coping method (his brain is in "day off" mode which is why he keeps missing clues about Raph), he is still making an effort.
In a way, the episode which I thought portrayed a slightly out-of-character version of Donnie actually provides yet another example of how Donnie really loves his brothers, despite how it may seem on the surface.
~-~-~
(Actually, depending on the way you interpret his character, the same can be said for Mikey in this episode as well. Mikey is always a bit of a goofball in the show but in this episode, it is dialed up to 11. He also doesn't seem to much care or effort into finding Raph and acts like a child who managed to snag one of their parents' energy drinks. If we consider that maybe he is also struggling to adapt to the changes of the day, this could be him adopting a similar coping method to Donnie, it is just amplified because of his hyperactive behavior and personality.)
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