The Turtles and Angel venture into a spooky house to track down Angel's missing brother.
This episode provides examples of
- Actually, I Am Him: The caretaker reveals that he is C.F. Volpehart after the Turtles defeat the monster.
- All Just a Dream: Leo realizing this allows him to break free.
- And I Must Scream: Basically what C.F. Volpehart's life became. He eventually reformed and wanted to kill the monster, but he had spent too long under its grasp, so he was helpless to act. Being immortal, this suffering persisted until the Turtles won.
- Big "NO!": Leo gets one when the monster shows him an image of Master Splinter being killed. We actually see it twice: one in the How We Got Here Cold Opening, and then repeated in the episode proper.
- Bittersweet Ending: The Turtles defeat the Necro Monster and save Angel's brother Ryan, which also allows C.F. Volpehart to finally pass away, but the Necro Monster is evidently still alive and ready to continue its manipulations.
- Body Horror: In Mikey's nightmare, Leo has tentacles where one of his arms should be.
- Darker and Edgier: Probably one of the darkest episodes of the entire series.
- Deal with the Devil: How C.F. Volpehart gained his wealth.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Necro Monster, which heavily resembles Cthulhu, and is a creature that has been manipulating mankind since it arrived on Earth, and is evidently immortal both in age and the fact the creature is still alive despite the Turtles defeating it.
- The End... Or Is It?: The ending of the episode shows the monster taking possession of a random person after its apparent defeat, with that guy now servings as its vessel.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Mikey's worst fear is betrayal.
- Flashback: Showing how the monster came to Earth and how Volpehart became its servant.
- Foreshadowing: The caretaker saying he's seen stranger things than the Turtles.
- Ignored Expert: The caretaker constantly warns people to stay away, and they never listen to him.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: The Native warrior. Also, Leo in the end.
- Lovecraft Lite: While the Necro Monster is evidently still free to manipulate humanity by the end of the episode, the Turtles still manage to defeat it and save Angel's missing brother.
- Mythology Gag: Raph being in the Shredder's armor is a nod to a plot-point in Image's third volume series.
- Never Say "Die": Averted. The caretaker tells the Turtles, who are battling a horde of zombies, that they cannot kill the dead.
- No Immortal Inertia: What happens to C.F. once the monster is killed.
- Noble Savage: The monster can tempt the greedy, but its meteor crashed near a Native American tribe that could not be swayed and who set about building a weapon to kill it.
- No Name Given: The monster itself is not named on-screen but credits and other official sources reveal it to be the "Necro Monster".
- Oh, Crap!: Defied. Much to Donny's surprise, the caretaker isn't the slightest bit surprised to see four giant, talking turtles because he's seen far stranger.
- Police Are Useless: Angel tried getting help from the police but they refused to look her brother because they needed to use the resources to rebuilt after the Triceraton invasion.
- Really 700 Years Old: The caretaker is revealed to be C.F. Volpehart, given immortality from the monster a thousand years ago.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Everyone under the monster's influence and the manifestations it creates.
- Reduced to Dust: The caretaker turns out to be C.F. Volpehart, cursed with immortality. Once the Turtles defeat the monster, he disintegrates into dust. Onscreen. Then Mikey walks on the dusty remains.Mike: Hey, where's the old dude?
Angel: You're standing on him.
Mike: Eh? (Looks down at dust under his feet) Eew! Gross, gross, gross! - Significant Anagram: C.F. Volpehart/ H. P. Lovecraft.
- Spanner in the Works: The native warrior was ready to slay the monster, but then C.F. Volpehart arrived.
- Spiritual Crossover: This episode features the Turtles going up against the Necro Monster, who's basically a stand-in for Cthulhu.
- The End... Or Is It?: The monster survived and successfully tempts a businessman into being its servant.
- Wham Line: "My name is C.F. Volpehart."
- "What Do They Fear?" Episode: After the Turtles are captured, they are forced to endure their worst nightmares.
- Leo both failing to save Splinter's life and being denounced by him as a disappointment — being a failure.
- Donny failing to save Angel from falling to her death — watching a loved one die.
- Raph being just like the Shredder — losing to his anger.
- Mikey facing a version of Leo that took the monster's offer and underwent Body Horror — being betrayed.
- What You Are in the Dark: During the climax, the others are knocked out, so Leo is forced to face the monster alone. Saying Leo can't win, the monster offers him anything he desires if he becomes his servant. Leo is briefly tempted, but he breaks free and strikes the monster with the spear.
