In order to get the President to fund his organization, the Earth Protection Force, Bishop must show him that it is useful in dealing with a single alien threat. However, there is no alien threat, so he will have to make one. At the same time, the Turtles are there to foil this plan.
This episode provides examples of
- The Bad Guy Wins: In the end, Bishop successfully made a fake alien invasion that the President is planning to fund his organization.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: By this point in the series, the Turtles have spent plenty of time around aliens.Raph: An alien invasion, you don't see that every day! Oh wait, yeah we do.
- Call-Back:
- Bishop notes that as the President warned him, his recent string of failures/scandals - the poor performance during the Triceraton Invasion, the raid on Oroku Saki's mansion, and the escape of T9581 - has put the EPF's funding in jeopardy.
- During the fake invasion, Bishop decided to make the President squirm a bit, likely as revenge for the chewing out he had given him a few episodes back.
- Clone Degeneration: The aliens have this built in, but the unexpected hand-to-hand combat with the Turtles causes it to happen ahead of schedule. When Bishop complains about this to him, Baxter Stockman notes Bishop's body is also not looking very stable at the moment...
- Crippling Overspecialization: Baxter explains that the parameters Bishop wanted programmed into the fake aliens didn't include hand-to-hand combat. As such, due to the Turtles wailing on them, their breakdown rate accelerates.
- The End... Or Is It?: The final scene shows the phony aliens' leftover genetic material leaking into the sewer.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: Bishop has made himself this one by making a fake alien invasion and "saving" the President.
- Foreshadowing: Throughout the episode, Bishop's body has shown signs of breaking down. It's a hint at how he seems to have been alive since Roswell.
- The Greys: The opening narration shows Bishop and his men shooting down and capturing these kind of aliens. One is also seen floating in a pod in Bishop's base
- Hero with Bad Publicity: The Turtles, as they see a portrayal of themselves on TV as monsters.
- The Kindnapper: Bishop, to the President.
- Knight Templar: Bishop will do anything to protect Earth from external threats, even if he has to imperil the planet himself to do it.
- Let No Crisis Go to Waste: The "alien invasion" secures both the President's favor and unlimited resources for Bishop and his team.
- Mythology Gag: The drawing of the Turtles depicts them all wearing red bandanas.
- Narrator: Bishop, for the second time.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: When the Turtles have destroyed the satellite of his vehicle, Bishop states it's a bad idea since it controls the alien spaceship. Raphael remarks this to Donatello, the one who did it, by saying, "Nice one, Einstein."
- Oh, Crap!: Possibly the Grey who was dragged out of the UFO to face Bishop, suggesting that he recognized him and presumably didn't expect him to live this long.
- Only in It for the Money: Donatello says this about Bishop when he and the Turtles are watching the news of the President's rescue.
- People Jars: For the various aliens in Bishop's base. Look closely and you'll see Triceratons, and even Utroms.
- Shout-Out:
- When one of the fake aliens explodes on him, Mikey groans "He slimed me".
- At one point, Stockman called Bishop "the next 'Orson Welles'".
- Spanner in the Works: The Turtles' presence during his fake invasion was not a factor Bishop anticipated, and as such, their involvement causes his plan to hit a few bumps, including making the fake aliens break down ahead of schedule and causing his alien ship to crash. Despite their interference, however, he still succeeds in his plan.
- Tempting Fate: Leo worries about the risks of the turtles hanging out near crowds (and Secret Service officers) in broad daylight for the presidential speech, complaining that they're asking to be dissected. Raph dismisses his complaining and suggests he think of it as "stealth training." While they don't get dissected, they do get seen, and a crude sketch of their images is shown later on the news.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: One of few instances all season where Leo spends time with his brothers outside of training or missions, even if he grumbles a bit about it.
- Villain Episode: For Bishop, who devotes the episode to trying to save the EPF with a faux invasion.
- Villain with Good Publicity: The President falls for Bishop’s ruse, and after being apparently saved by Bishop from the aliens, vows to give him any and all funding he needs and publicly praises the EPF on TV.
