#risingepisodetalks

 HHHHHOOOO BOY IS THIS EPISODE FUN- ok, but like, any episode with Leo and Hueso is fuunnn- I am so glad this is apparently a duo that we get to see more of (and hopefully if there’s a third season, we might get another!!)

- Leo explained the situation to Hueso and idk why I find that so funny but I do... and like, Hueso listened to this child

- “What kind of pizza says: ‘I’m sorry I called you a selfish, eggheaded, weirdo”

-alright, but I also gotta mention that they never actually showed the fight?? and I love it??? it honestly feels very sibling-y to me- like yea, they fought, but it’s not gonna be the focus of the whole episode (like between the two of them) cuz that’s just how it be (also apologizing with food is always the easiest, let’s be real)

-even though the episode is based around siblings fighting, but you get my point

-Leo likes pineapple pizza. why Leo

-”GET OUT YOU MISERABLE CURD” “ok, I’ll get the Hawaiian, mamma mia”

-Leo casually saying hi to Piel while eating breadsticks

-”you can’t just kick out your own untrustworthy criminal brother- he’s family!”

 -Hueso and Peil fully just let this random kid they let tag along on a dangerous mission attempt to jump head-first on a wild animal

-”I shall dance, but the childlike joy will not be in my heart”

-sometime before they arrived they decided to get Leo a Bowtie, or he got one himself, and honestly either one is great

-the tooth story... there’s just so much there... (completely accurate for siblings tho, since I have a similar story lmao... I think everyone does)

-”we are after item thirty-eight- that is: three. eight.”

-”WHO DOES THIRTY-EIGHT FIRST??” whoever wrote that scene is great

-why the fuck did Leo choose such an Extra pose.

-”classic brother betrayal! my brothers do that all the time!”

-”Lier, lier... although you do have a point about how clever I am.”

-”Yes but that was after the pizza cutter. By then I was already scum.”

-”Anyway, we’ve been surrounded by goons for some time now.” 

-I FUCKING LOVE THIS CUZ DURING THE WHOLE SCENE I WAS LIKE: “weren’t u being chased tho??!!

-I... don’t even know where to start with the fusion. like who even thought of that???? THIS EPISODE IS SERIOUSLY HILARIOUS???

-Leo is bowing to him

-like sometimes you can’t think about this show too hard, otherwise you’ll end up staring at this screenshot for like, five minutes at 3am, wondering what the fuck just happened, and why was it so great

-”JUST EAT IT YOU WEIRDO”

tl;dr this episode is great and absolutely hilarious imo?? honestly I die whenever I watch it- it’s the best. 

Sorry for being gone from these for so long! I was really upset after Rise ended, and just sorta lost my energy there for a while- but I am feeling pretty confident that we can get it back!! 

In the meantime though, it’ll be fun to talk about some episodes! So per request that is over six months old now (sorry @alwayshere195​) Many Unhappy Returns!

- We all know how much the visuals in this show absolutely slap but this episode really kicks it off right away with beautiful scenery

- “Thanks for doing the dirty work for us! Big up Shreddy!” (the fact that this is their super-great-Grandfather makes this so much funnier for reasons I can’t explain)

-Leo would have been seriously injured in the Shredder hadn’t just disappeared like that

- “You fools! You have doomed humanity!” “Have we? No seriously, tell me, this has all been very confusing.”

- “Wow, one season later and I still got full battery, nice!”

- Leo’s overall support of his brothers and his confidence that they can handle it is actually really sweet

- April’s ‘get to safety song’ 

-”Two data points? You’re hypothesising with two data points? Scoff!” 

*Fifteen minutes later*

- ok but just in general, I just really love that they aren’t afraid to have Mikey have genuinely good ideas

- “No one’s responding, I’m the only one who made it!”

- “really? cause’ I thought my overall ninjocity was totally working” “It wasn’t”  “I’m pretty sure it was about to...”

- “She’ll help me! I’m the face man, people love me!” “Last time you saw her she tried to kill you.”  “Who hasn’t?”

- why are there so many good Leo lines? Also, just in general, despite this being a serious episode, the comedy still slaps while not seeming out of place- this is why I love rise tbhhh

-ngl the entire scene where Splinter tells Leo that Big Mama is his ex is probably one of the funniest things ever

- Splinter apparently met Big Mama in 1984- I kinda wonder if that was a nod to the fact that the og tmnt comic books came out in ‘84

- Splinter’s story is actually really sad tho- he lost so many people in his life, and finally thought he had found happiness with Big Mama, who he assumed was just a driver, not even an actor. Then he was betrayed by her.

-Big Mama’s assistant is there, just standing around and looking cool while the entire fandom begs to know if it’s Venus de Milo

- Leo’s whole plan while Splinter just freaks out in the back

- out of context, this shot is great, but with added context, it’s even better. Like u know that awkward moment when your grandfather walks in on you trying to kill him?

- eventually Donnie just goes on his phone while their tickling Shredder, and Mikey just chills on Shredder’s shoulders. Like sure, why not

- “You have thrown me into the lion’s den!” “I think it’s more of a kraken’s den”

- It’s the first time we hear Splinter say Leonardo’s name fully, and he’s just telling him to shut tf up

- “My other sons would’ve taken this seriously!” *cuts to them tickling Shredder*

- FREAKIN MIKEY LIFTING THAT ENTIRE BOAT????? IT’S AWESOME

-asdfghjjhgfd foreshadowing as to what the drill is for??? yes please not to mention the shot is just simply amazing

- APRIL FREAKING O’NEIL WHO GOT A CRANE LICENSE  BC OF POSSIBLE FIGHTS WHERE IT MIGHT BE USEFUL???? WE STAN but also what was that conversation like with her parents

-Kraken Tom and the Evil Six. Why is that so funny.

- ngl, Leo’s plan reveal actually had me gasping the first time I watched it. Like idk, despite them showing several times in the first season that Leo is incredibly smart and good at planning, it never clicked in until this episode for me, and I think that was a pretty popular experience- the audience realized just how smart Leo actually was at the same time Splinter did, but it was still seriously foreshadowed and didn’t feel random- just A+ writing for ya there folks

- “I have calculated that this is the site of our final resting spot- I mean, go team!”

- Donnie with his own headstone will forever be iconic and relatable af, but also just another way to add in how much I love the team behind Rise, and how much effort they put into this show

- Leo guessing that April finally used her crane license was kinda sweet tho

- “Trust me.”  “I do.” 

- Donnie and Mikey are both so terrified while they fight, but they still do it, and idk, I think it’s really important that they showed main characters who are still strong and fight despite being scared.

- WHOLESOME- also Splinter hugging Leo tightly idk I just think it’s sweet

- Splinter just shoving his sleeping children into the sewers gives off tired dad vibes and we stan

- one last thing: I love how in Rise, you really get the sense that they don’t want to be fighting the Shredder, they don’t ever want to deal with this. You want them to beat the Shredder because you know they have ‘normal’ lives to get back to, that ultimately they’re kids who still want to get back home in the end, and while I doubt any of the other tmnt turtles wanted to fight their Shredder, it hits a little differently in Rise- maybe that’s because we see a lot more of their normal lives- but I thinks it’s really cool that the writers provided a scenario like that.

Okokok- this episode??? SO GREAT??? the Mikey content??? the Raph content??? THE OVERALL FAMILY CONTENT??? yeah, so anywaysssss-

-Say what you will about Draxum, but he honestly treats his workers with respect. He took good care of Hugin and Muninn, and he took the time to interact with characters that would’ve been seen as mere henchmen by others... 

-APRIL!!!! I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE HER AGAIN!!!! Also Raph is being 100% precious and helping her out

-”Normally, it’s just a lot of clip-clopping, but lately, iT SOUNDS LIKE A DINOSAUR ON A TRAMPOLINE”

-it’s actually a dinosaur on a trampoline

-”DON’T MAKE A SCENE”

-”And to make sure that neighbour is not scared, a disguise.” *puts on thug mask* I seriously wanna know what would’ve happened if it was a normal person

-”I told you Carol, I do not want to meet your daughter”

-”Dinosaur-trampoline always cheers you up, so I thought I’d try it on Baron Draxum!” 

-OK BUT THAT IS SO PURE??? MIKEY WANTED TO CHEER UP RAPH AT SOME POINT, AND PROBABLY WENT THROUGH A BUNCH OF WAYS TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT, AND THEN FINALLY HE FOUND A DINO SUIT AND A TRAMPOLINE AND TRIED IT, AND IT ACTUALLY WORKED, CUZ SEEING HIS LIL BRO IN AN OVERSIZED DINO SUIT BOUNCING AROUND, DESPERATE TO CHEER HIM UP MADE RAPH SMILE IDK I JUST LOVE THAT LINE

-”I do feel my confusion being replaced by joy”

-He was trying to make Draxum happy by bouncing around, and Draxum jUST LET HIM IN, AND PAID ATTENTION????

-also, this pure orange boi saw their enemy living on the streets, homeless, and the first thing he did was try and help him

-Dr. Positive

-”But, he’s also the one who created us, and that makes him family!” I’M NOT CRYING, YOU ARE

-ok, it’s already been mentioned, the perfection of this scene, but let’s go over it again quickly: 

1. Splinter, Donnie, and Leo were very excited to meet April’s parents. 

2. Splinter made sure they were in matching outfits, and made food (without Mikey’s help) bc they wanted to make a good impression.

3. Them coming in just to see Raph holding up Mikey in a dino suit probably gave them whiplash, and it didn’t help that Draxum was there as well

-Leo and Donnie casually betting on stuff

-thE DINNER IS VERY AWKWARD, AND PERFECT

-my sister and I at family dinners

-”No, no, he’s right. If I still had my powers, I could create tHE MOST LOATHSOME CREAMED CORN MONSTER EVER SEEN”

-”and do not get me started on Carol” I want an episode abt Draxum and Carol, this seems very interesting

-”Which part of the human is it made from?” “What? No, it’s made by humans, not from them” *throws in away in disgust*

-”He created us Raph! Without him, we wouldn’t even be here”

-I’m not sure what makes that line hit so hard? Maybe it’s Raph’s reaction to it, or maybe it’s how intensely Mikey says it?? we all know that they were just turtles before, but none of them have really said it that openly themselves... idk, it’s probably a weird feeling for them

-Let’s just appreciate how much better they’ve gotten at fighting for a second

- I COULD NEVER BE PREPARED FOR THIS

-I really want more on April and Draxum!!

tl;dr THE EPISODE WAS SO GREAT????? I DIDN’T THINK I’D LIKE THE SHEEP-MAN ANY MORE THAN I ALREADY DO, BUT I’D DIE FOR HIM???? Also Mikey is pure, and deserves the world, but what else is new? also Draxum is giving him attention as a father-figure, and it’s really nice to see

“Alrighttttt, here’s the next one (as requested by @dabibliophile)!!! Man vs. Sewer is a great episode, but it low-key caught me off-guard the first time I watched it... Like Raph genuinely lost it, and it wasn’t played off as a joke or anything which is how it’s often is in cartoons. I know rottmnt has its fair share of plot-related episodes, but tbh when I first watched Rise, I was seeing it more as a fun tmnt show, but this episode was what made me realize how good this series actually was... 

anywayssss, let’s go

-Donnie’s apparently the designated texter of the group

-”Sweet, sweet Angelo”

-Donnie’s boardshorts, and how Leo just looks done with him while Mikey looks on in awe... Mikey is so precious I love him

-”I’m not a useful member of society”  

-Leo’s genuine concern for Raph

-Dr. Delicate Touch

-”Where did you get that?” “Uh... borrowed it? from Splinter?” “Splinter. Who only owns robes and a shady past, let you-” 

-the fact that they consider Splinter to have a shady past, and apparently make jokes abt it with each other 

-Donnie is trying so hard to look angry, but he can’t help but smile when Mikey pulls on his tube

-”What? no, where do you think we are?”

-look at the teetlez in tubes. they cute. so smol.

-sports pass

-Raph saying that Lace Face has been in the family longer than Donnie leads me to believe that Baron Draxum gave smol Raph a football when he was in the lab even though I know that’s not true cuz it would’ve been exploded too. But still

-SPORTS

-”OUR FOOTBALL” *Leo slightly glares at him* “OH AND RAPH”

-”Then why doesn’t he has Splinter’s rugged good looks like we do?”

-Leo is Very Concerned abt Raph... idk, it’s really sweet, but his word choices can be worrying: “You know how savage Raph is when he’s alone. He’ll totally lose it if we don’t find him fast- clocks ticking.”

-Particularly the “you know how savage” and “clocks ticking” parts. They know this about him. They know it doesn’t take long. And it’s not played for laughs.

-How Raph starts taking deep breaths and his eyes look glossed over like he’s trying to avoid crying

-He didn’t even notice how much damage he did to the room...

-”Don’t lose it Raph! please...”

-THAT SOFT ‘please’ RAPH SAYS AT THE END GETS ME EVERY TIME??? HE KNOWS WHATS COMING??? 

-And while this is exaggerated, as someone who frequently has panic attacks, can I just say that this episode display’s the progress of what it feels like very well? You can feel it coming, and try all the deep breathing you want, but with every moment you feel more lost... idk I just really like this ep, ok??

-”He’s one of those turtle-jerks we hate y’know for... reasons I can’t remember... leTS EaT hiM!”

-”YES! well, actually, full disclosure, I dunno”

-”Today’s vibes were supposed to be chill, so I went ahead and filled my battleshell with refreshment.” “Just one, Donald?”

-”Then give us ice, for our horribly mangled bodies”

-*sounds of ice machine* “it melted.”

-”Raph was here.” “Leeeet’s not jump to conclusions Leon-” *points to graffiti stating ‘Raph was here’*

-Raph automatically called them ‘sewer monsters’... just an observation

-”I’M nOt as tOuGH aS i PReteND tO BE”

-”Someone could get really hurt on this... LET’S SEE HOW FAR IT SWINGS”

-This screenshot is cursed

-”Once again, I’d love to help bail us out with my undeniable and prestigious genius, but-”

-”That’s Donnie’s tire! I mean- Raph’s tube!”

-”Well Leo, since you sell the fewest action figures, why don’t you go ahead and jump first”

-”Leo, chill, we can’t freak out, nobody freak out, stOP FREAKING OUT DONNIE”

-Ok, but I do think Mikey somewhat relies on Raph to keep him calm and safe, after all, Raph is the mother hen and the most protective- especially of Mikey. It makes sense that Mikey is having a hard time too, and I think a lot of his flippant concern is just him trying to ignore that he doesn’t currently have one of the most stable people in his life, and they’re the ones trying to save Raph... it’s probably taking a lot out of all of them

-Mikey tried to cling onto Donnie while falling

-”MAKE A HUMAN SHIELD AROUND MEEEEE” Leo. you’re a turtle. you’re all turtles.

-”100% not Raph, staking my life on it, shorts” “RAPH. ALOOOOONE” “it might be Raph, but who’s to say anymore?”

-Raph may be savage, but he’s still got requirements for his taste, so he puts lemon on the crabs. But then again, he put it directly in their eyes???? was that supposed to be torture???

-”Are you barbequing villains?”

-Raph’s comment about having ‘no brothers’ makes me wonder if he remembers his years as a turtle somewhere deep inside and the time he would’ve spent alone... idk man...

-”No one’s gonna shout the answer at me and make all my problems disappear!”

-They aren’t scared of him after... They just immediately go to hug him... it’s very important

-”Aw, I love you guys” SAID SO CASUALLY BY RAPH I WANNA CRY

tl;dr this episode is really sweet, but surprisingly serious. It has its fun moments, but a lot of it feels like its hinting at more to come, and even if it isn’t, it’s still a really interesting look into Raph as a character

Ok, I feel like no one’s talking about how great this episode is, so allow me to start with a list of reasons why I love it-

-Knowing what your sibling will choose first in rock, paper, scissors, is ultimate sibling culture

-Disaster Twins judging Raph

-The knowledge that Mikey cooks Brussel sprouts for them, implying that he cares about his brother's health, idk that’s just really sweet

-The 0 brain cells present during Splinter’s lesson

-”You think you can turn off the sun?”

-Sometimes they travel by all hanging off of Donnie like one of those monkey-in-a-barrel chains

-Splinter was perfectly fine with them stopping for sundaes as long as they were safe

-Protective Splinter spends the whole episode trying to keep his sons safe

-”Hold the door!” *Splinter desperately presses the close button*

-Donnie apparently decided to stay with Mikey to make sure his lil bro was safe  

-”They are not all caught! I am as pleased, as I am totally shocked”

-”Sloooow motiooooon jitsuuuuuu”

-Raph holding objects above his head to create ‘shadows’ is one of the funniest things this show has ever given us

-Blind spot, bliNd sPOt, BLIND SPOT

-”Wheels on stairs, not my finest decision”

-Leo being a protective older bro

-”iT’s LikE i’M iNVisiBLe”

-”LIGHTS OFF JITSU” “come on Mikey, like that’s gonna wor-” *works* “I will never doubt you again”

-CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE ANIMATION IN THIS EPISODE?????

-how proud he looks when it works

-Splinter being proud of them and freely saying so

-THE HUG

-ok but seriously the hug is so perfect- look at the positioning

-Mikey is the smallest so he crouched down to hug Splinter from the front

-Raph picked up Splinter and is hugging him along with Donnie and Leo

-Leo and Donnie are on either side- and Leo has his arm around Raph! it’s so cute

-They all immediately went into this position which makes me think this is probably their standard position for hugs after trying to figure out what the best position for family hugs was

-THEY ALL LOOK SO HAPPY 

-The casual “LOVE YOU DAD” from Mikey at the end

Ok, this is another great episode, and especially for the sibling interactions in this?? Also all of them were really in character and pretty much all had equal interactions, and it’s really fun too!

-Raph narrating the episode from the start to finish is great

-An entire band became furries and they’re super chill about it

-Yo how they harmonize (sorta terribly) for pizza week like that? Sibling culture.

-”And scene.” Donnie’s a theatre kid, I love him

-the pizza places are all equal distances apart, but they chose to start at Mikey’s favourite place even though none of them really like it

-”oh I think it’s closed” “my phone says it’s open til ten” (gotta love the disaster twins)

-Raph making crying noises to try and convince Mikey he’s sad

-”What’s the key thing they have in common?” “Uh, besides having the same name but in different order?” “dO YOu tHINk thAT’s imPORTanT???” “no?”

-Donnie knows about the multiverse, and just casually brings it up so he can talk abt a pizza conspiracy theory 

-Leo stating that Donnie’s mentioned pizzasoarus before is just really freakin hilarious because that means this is one conspiracy that Donnie not only believes, but he has mentioned it several times before, most likely unprompted, and refuses to give it up (do I maybe want a redo of the 2012 episode where the pizza mutant captured everyone and it was up to Mikey to save them? maybe, maybeee)

-Donnie is a conspiracy theorist

- Their helmets! Leo has his stripes painted on top, and Donnie has a lil hole in the back so his mask ends are sticking out. Raph kept the one that Donnie gave him in ‘Donnie’s Gifts,’ and Mikey has goggles and it’s just really cute

-”See? everything’s fine” everything was not fine

-Raph clinging on to Mikey, idk it’s just really cute cuz usually it’s the other way around

-Mikey is angry and quite frankly it's terrifying

-Donnie just full-on missing his shot

-”Does he think we don’t know what a week is?” 

-”I wasn’t sure they knew what a week was”

-“FIVE WEEKDAYS. and a weekend...”

-Dr. Delicate Touch

-”So should we be worried about him?” “probably”

-”Can we fight them with the drill?” “It would be far too effective” *proceeds to self-destruct drill*

-not really important, but when they get scared their immediate instinct is to cling to Raph

-”Why are you so focused on the pizza?”

-No but seriously, imagine ur fighting these guys, and literally the only thing they’re talking abt is pizza?? Like bro I’d be confused too

-”not only did you destroy everything I love in the world, bUT YOU DIDN’T EVEN HAVE THE COMMON COURTESY TO KNOW YOU WERE DOING IT”

-Raph casually holding Mikey while calmly having a conversation is one of the best things ever

-”Who are you talking to?”

-but Leo says this casually enough that it leads me to believe that Raph narrating events is at least a semi-normal thing

-THE CLASSIC ROOFTOP PIZZA SHOT I LOVE IT

Oh god it’s been so long, did I really not even finish the first four?? Sorry about that, but I’ll try harder to be more frequent here!!

anywaysssss- Pizza Puffs!! Oh boy do I love our teetlez, but they can really be idiots some times, can’t they? Even still, this episode was so much fun!!

-Raph wearing a cape is honestly the best, and I feel like it should be mentioned more

-”DUDE! THEY’RE POSIONED”

-R.ed A.ngel of P.reventing H.arm (Raph = angel confirmed)

-I love the little details in the background, like the sticky note saying ‘get more granola.’ I know it’s just background stuff that a lot of cartoons do nowdays, but there’s just something about it I love, y’know?? Like they didn’t need to add in something like that, but they did, and it just makes me feel really warm

-”As you know, I don’t normally express emotion”

-ok but seriously, saying something is ‘poisonous’ to prevent your siblings from eating it is painful sibling culture, and I fell for that trick waaaaay too many times when I was younger

-”How about when you tell us training starts an hour earlier because you know we’re always late, hmmmmm?” “Or when you told Mikey that if he doesn’t take out the trash, a trash monster will eat him in his sleep?”

-Leo apparently slacks off on missions the most, he didn’t even get a full star?? How does one not get a full star?? Did he ditch them halfway??

-”Are you sweating?” “Yeah, a little, but only because my hand is on fire” 

-”Don’t eat that!” “Oh, yeah, gross, its been on the floor” “aND ITS POISON”

-”Relax, Raph will fix it!”  “I’M RAPH”

-Mikey can track down a certain type of flour from just the taste- no one gets to say he isn’t talented ever again

-”nyah”

-”Get in there and do what you do best... face!” first, great pun, second, I love how genuine and supportive Raph is here, they really do trust Leo’s skills, and I’m living for it

-no one gives af anymore that they’re talking to mutant turtles, and honestly, that’s kind of just a whole mood

-Ok, but real talk, this episode may really just seem like a fun filler episode, but it draws attention to how lost Donnie, Leo, and Mikey are without Raph, and uh, that scene where Raph talks to himself, switching between harsh and kind while the others look on in horror, sorta reminding us that savage Raph exists?? ngl, the first time I watched this, I was sorta freaking out

-”Stop. Eating. THE POISON”

-Raph is really starting to concern me... SOMEONE HUG HIM

-SHADOW PERSON SHADOW PERSON SHADOW PERSON

Another donnie episode! I really love this one, since its that classic cartoon trope of ‘the smart one makes someone else smart, but then realizes it’s a mistake,’ that I was so obsessed with when I was younger, and Rise! does a really great job at making it feel genuine (like Donnie misses their personalities more than being considered the ‘smart one’), but anywaysssss-

-they immediately get annoyed with their code names and try to change it (sibling cultureee)

-”Double checking- it is a real dragon’s tooth, right?” “No, no it is not, because dragon’s, nor their teeth, are real”

-Raph freaking fell out of a building from a considerably high point...

-”You’re terrible at pictures, I’m coming over”

-DONNIE JUST GRABS MIKEY AND PULLS HIM IN

-sidenote: Raph is adorable, thank you

-I still want to know why Donnie is afraid of beach balls

-”A PEICE OF MILITARY-GRADE TECHNOLOGY REMAINS IN THE HANDS OF-” “a high-school tech club?”

- *picks up crayons and yeets them*

-Raph taking a picture of Mikey while he poses at the top... he’s proud of his lil bro

-”Is it my skate-hawks idea? Y’see, they’re hawks, that we strap to ourselves, and then-”  “You say the word, and I’m ready to go wrangle some hawks”

-”hahA HAA- EVIL LAUGH”

- Kendra’s note- she drew a lil picture of herself

-Donnie ACTUALLY SET UP A DANCE PARTY SETTING FOR WHEN THEY EVENTUALLY HAD A GOOD MISSION

-”I’m sorry, you wen into my workshop?”

-most of them just took off their masks to sleep, but smart!Leo still needed to put on pyjamas

-ok- seriously, I love this episode because although Donnie is a little annoyed with them being smart, he still was excited to spend time with them...

-”ha, yeah! sick burn Raph... wait, you burned me... what’s going on here?”

-”hey wait, you’re trying to get rid of me, th-that’s what I do- but- but to you”

-honestly... the whole ‘purple’ thing was actually really sad- we all know Splinter tends to call them by their colours instead, so by taking Donnie’s colour, they were pretty much all replacing him and taking his identity as well... 

-”Yeah, you beefed it.” “Yes, I beefed it.”

-”I’ll ready the disposal unit!”  “Not that, too soon- bu I like where your head’s at” (I love Shelldon tbhhh)

-”Don’t beat yourself up, it’s just 100% your fault”

- “no, no, that is what I’m saying, no strings attached” “uh, there’s literally a string attached to you”

-He literally faced his worst fear just to get his bros back...

tl;dr this episode is great!! While a lot of the Donnie episodes have similar themes, I find the writers do a great job of making sure it’s for different reasons each time, and he doesn’t actually repeat the same mistake twice, which is a subtle, but great way to show character development (another reason why Rise! is great imo!!)