*SPOILERS*
Millions of years ago, a team of Eltarian warriors called Power Rangers were betrayed by one of their own: Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks). Their leader, Zordon (Bryan Cranston), in his final act secured the Power Coins and brought down a meteor that sent Rita into the water, where she sank to the bottom. The story then picks up in present day Angel Grove, where football captain Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery) is pulling a prank towards a rival school. Things turn south quickly when the cops show up and he has to make a getaway. Just when he thinks he got away, he gets into an accident and the film cuts to a black screen with the title in the corner.
3 weeks later, Jason's off the team, under house arrest, and has to attend Saturday school (he made it sound like he acted alone instead of with his teammates). We're now introduced to a couple of our other leads: Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott) apparently spread an embarrassing photo around of another classmate then punched out her boyfriend, and now her old friends want nothing to do with her. Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler) is an autistic genius, and seems out of place in detention with the rest of the troublemakers. (We learn later it's because an experiment blew up in his locker.) When he's bullied by one of the other students, Jason steps and gets him to back off. In exchange, a grateful Billy does some GPS spoofing with Jason's ankle monitor, giving the young man back his freedom.
The two then drive to a mining quarry on the outskirts of town, where Billy's intent on digging for something. Jason wanders off and runs into Kimberly, who's swimming in a grotto. He's concerned when he doesn't see her resurface, only for her to show up behind him. They have some character moments, having gone from popular to outcast in the span of a few weeks, and are just about ready to give up on their town. However, they're not the only teens in the area. Zack Taylor (Ludi Lin) is out for some peace and quiet, and spots Trini Kwan (Becky Gomez) doing some meditation exercises. When Billy sets off an explosive, the teens run back in his direction and discover the Power Coins in the rubble. Unfortunately, the authorities are also attracted to their location, prompting a getaway. It's an incredibly haphazard escape, which ends with the teens getting hit by a train...and waking up in their beds on Monday morning. Meanwhile, Jason's father is working on a fishing boat when they manage to net Rita's body and leave her in the cargo hold, where she begins to revive.
Recent season of the show have given the Rangers physical enhancements in addition to their morphing powers, and that's what manifests first: super strength and super jumping. Jason, Kim, and Billy agree they have to go back out there. They run into Zack and Trini again, but have to chase the latter down before falling into a grotto. They discover they're glowing in the water and swim down to the bottom, where an air pocket leads to Zordon's Command Center.
Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) reveals himself and is overjoyed to meet them. The little robot instantly endeared himself, and serves as a friendly counterpoint to Zordon (his consciousness placed in the ship before his death), who explains to the teens that they are the new Power Rangers, and need to be able to morph so they can stop Rita from reviving Goldar and destroying the Zeo Crystal, which is buried somewhere under Angel Grove. They try to morph and fail, so the training montage begins. The Rangers are pitted against holographic representations of the Putty Patrol, who are far more rocky and monstrous in this version. While their fighting continues to improve, attempts at morphing are still met with failure. While all this is going on, Rita gradually takes on a more humanoid appearance while killing people and stealing gold.
Zordon's patience is running thin, and Alpha tries to incentivize the team by showing off their Dino Zords: powerful robotic vehicles who took the form of the strongest creatures on Earth at the time. They're not ready for them yet, but that doesn't stop Zack from taking his out for a spin. This puts him at odds with Jason when he gets back, prompting Billy to put himself in between the two to stop the fighting...which somehow gets him to morph into the Blue Ranger. Unable to trigger the transformation a second time, Zordon sends them out for the day. Jason stays behind and discovers another reason Zordon needs them to morph: it would open up the Morphing Grid and allow Zordon to step back into the land of the living, where he would presumably take back the Red Coin and stop Rita himself. Jason storms out in anger.
The Rangers figure that the reason they can't morph yet is because even as they become a better team, they're all still strangers, so they bond over a campfire swapping their own stories. Zack has been taking care of his sick mother, but doesn't go home at night to avoid facing the possibility of her death. Billy's father has been dead for some time, but as he spends more time with the others, he doesn't miss him as much. Kimberly doesn't want to talk, but confides in Jason later when they're alone. Trini's family is constantly moving, which she doesn't mind too much, but it doesn't give her much time to discover who she is (the subtle implication is that she's lesbian, bisexual, or at least queer; not a lot of detail).
After these character moments, we're thrust back into the story when Rita interrogates Trini in her home, and in what's definitely a true Power Rangers moment, the team decides it's time to go after her whether they have powers or not...This does not go well.
Rita overpowers the teens easily, capturing them and forcing Billy to reveal the location of the Zeo Crystal, something he worked out on his own. Having what she needs, she drowns Billy and sets the others free. They pull him out, but he's already dead. It's a complete shock that they would do this not just to a main character, but to the one member of the team who had the least baggage.
Desperate, the Rangers take Billy's body back to the Command Center, but there's seemingly nothing that they can do. The quartet mourn their fallen comrade, wishing they could trade their lives for his. Suddenly, the Morphing Grid is active. This would be Zordon's chance to step through, but he doesn't take it, allowing Billy to come back in his stead. The Rangers are finally ready and it's not a moment too soon, as Rita has begun bringing Goldar to life. It's Morphin Time. (Finally!)
The suits took some getting used to when they were revealed, but once they're on-screen, they look great. After an all too brief fight with the Putties, the Rangers get to the Zords and drive off to fight Goldar, the old theme playing briefly as they ride off into battle.
There's a lot going on in the fight, and while the show often doesn't waste any time getting to the Megazord, here we see each vehicle get to do something and fight off the monster. However, Goldar still succeeds in digging up the Zeo Crystal under the local Krispy Kreme. The Rangers try to hold the line, but are still pushed into the pit...only to emerge as the Megazord. The team takes a moment to figure out how to pilot it together, and manage to win. Rita remains defiant, but is slapped into space (the Green Coin no longer on her person as she gets iced over). The townspeople cheer, the day is saved, and our heroes settle back into their everyday life, ready for when the world needs the Power Rangers again.
It's an enjoyable origin story, that admittedly takes a little too long to get to the climax. The cast and characters fortunately manage to keep you engaged. Our troubled teens each go through a character arc. Jason and Kimberly specifically have redemption arc, as does Zordon, so there's a great underlying message that it's never too late to overcome your past mistakes and do something good. There's even a more subtle scene with Jason and his father about fixing up his truck from the night of the accident. Jason and Kim are the atoners, Zack and Trini are the outsiders, and Billy is the heart keeping the team together.
Goldar makes for an imposing visual, but it is disappointing he didn't have a personality or identity like his TV counterpart. By contrast, Rita is fantastic. Elizabeth Banks walks a fine line between camping it up and being a very serious threat. She got her hands dirty and fought the Rangers directly, which is something the old Rita never did. Zordon's a far more reluctant mentor than he used to be, but it's a relief that he does come into the role and grows to care for our heroes enough to give up his one chance at resurrection. His holographic wall also makes for a unique visual effect and lets him
interact with the team more than just being a head in a tube. Bryan Cranston actually used to do monster voices in the original show, so his full circle presence here is a treat.
With the origin story out of the way, I hope later films follow up with something a bit more action oriented. What we got was great, but it makes up maybe the last 25 minutes of a 2 hour movie. If the rest of the story hadn't fallen into place as well as it did, this would have been a disappointment. I'm glad I saw this movie and am really looking forward to what these teenagers with attitude do next.
Showing posts with label Power Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Power Rangers. Show all posts
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Monday, January 11, 2016
TV I Watched In 2015
For the next few posts, I'm going to take a look at everything I viewed in the last year that might not have been covered in a typical review. For starters, I'm going to look at the last couple of seasons of live-action television. This will be followed up by posts about movies and animation. Time to get started.
The Walking Dead
After dealing with Terminus and a hospital run by corrupt cops, the group met a man named Aaron, who brought them to Alexandria. The city is heavily walled to keep out the zombies, but Deanna seems to put more emphasis on keeping the interior safe and comfortable rather than preparing her people for the world outside. Some characters find it easier to adapt inside than others. Carol wisely manages to blend in, hiding her more hardened aspects and acting like a normal housewife. Sasha has a nervous breakdown. Eugene grows a backbone in order to save Tara when he had to. Carl might just get himself a girlfriend. Rick nearly becomes Shane. Over the course of this year, (second half of season 5, first half of season 6), we lost Tyreese, Noah, and several others. The group is now facing off against a tribe of feral humans called the Wolves, led by a man named Negan, who has yet to be revealed. Every episode of the sixth season so far has taken place during the same 24-hour period. After discovering a huge horde of zombies in a rock quarry, Rick leads an attempt to corral them away from Alexandria, but the Wolves anticipated this and brought down a huge section of the wall. Glenn goes missing, and was presumed dead for a long time. He manages to signal his survival just as the walls come crashing down. Alexandria could still be salvaged, but for now it's time to evacuate using the old method of camouflaging yourselves in zombie guts. It's a tense moment as Rick leads his group out and a scared Sam has to ask his mom a question. Meanwhile, a dying Deanna makes a defiant stand against the horde to try and buy them time. We also saw the return of Morgan, who has regained his sanity with some help from a cheese maker and has a strict policy against killing the living. I'm looking forward to what happens this year.
Fear The Walking Dead
Taking place at the early stages of the outbreak and on the other side of the country, this series is a pretty mixed bag. It's interesting seeing characters learn what they're dealing with and how to survive. The group is an eclectic broken family; a man and his kids, the woman he's dating and her kids, as well as some illegal immigrants who were kind enough to help them when they needed it. One of the main characters is a drug addict, and is the first one made aware of the zombies. At first, he doesn't know if what he's seeing is real or a drug-induced hallucination, but that doesn't last long. We see the government intervene and occupy the area, but also collecting people who they believe might turn and becoming an adversary. The audience is well aware of what is about to happen, but the characters are not. As such, we see some people acting pragmatically and others acting stupid. The most egregious example of this was in the third (?) episode when the family breaks into a neighbor's house to get a weapon to protect themselves with. While everyone stands by to keep lookout, they leave the door to their own house wide open, allowing a zombified neighbor to walk right in and kill their dog. Even if you don't understand there are undead killers walking around, you do realize there's a crisis. Still, I kept watching. I like the new surroundings of the show and a few of the characters. I'm not as emotionally invested in them as I am in Rick's group, but it's still early in the show. Time will tell if this sticks.
The Flash
The second season kicked off where the first season ended, a giant time hole over Central City and the Flash trying to close it. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it without Firestorm's help, who split himself up to get it closed. Professor Stein was saved, but Ronny hasn't been seen since. A new Firestorm was later brought in to keep Stein stable. A recorded confession from Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne secured Barry's father's release from prison, who promptly went along his way. The singularity left several wormholes open throughout the city allowing for visitors from a parallel Earth, including Atom Smasher, Dr. Light, Jay Garrick (an alternate Flash), and their own Harrison "Harry" Wells. But the most dangerous of all is Zoom, a speedster clad in black who can run even faster than Barry, and brought him down with ease during their first encounter. Harry wants to help Barry bring down Zoom, but has to tread carefully because Zoom is holding his daughter Jessie (Quick?) hostage. The year ended with a team-up between the Trickster and Weather Wizard, and the introduction of Iris's brother, Wally West (the eventual Kid Flash). Barry also got himself a new girlfriend, a police officer on the metahuman task force with a personal score to settle with Weather Wizard. It's been a strong season so far, and I hope it continues this way.
Arrow
Damien Dahrk and his HIVE are terrorizing Star City and Team Arrow has been running ragged trying to stop them, so Oliver is called back to help them as the Green Arrow. Thea, now Speedy, is having some rage problems thanks to being resurrected by the Lazarus Pit. As such, she has to kill from time to time to stay in control. She and Laurel take a trip to Nanda Parbat, which results in the resurrection of her sister Sarah. Unfortunately, Sarah's been dead too long so her soul is completely absent from her body. Once Team Arrow tracks her down, Oliver calls in a favor from an old friend: John Constantine. I decided to marathon through the cancelled series in preparation for this episode. And while it helped, and made it that much cooler to see the character on the show, it wasn't necessarily needed to enjoy the character. The best thing was that they worked him into the flashbacks, rather than just showing up in present day. In the current flashback arc, Waller has enlisted Oliver to infiltrate a drug cartel on a different island. He runs into Constantine while there, who uncovers a mystical artifact that both he and the drug boss may have been looking for. Ollie saves his life when they set off a trap, and so he owed him one. In the present, once he arrives in Star City, they perform a ritual to unite Sarah's soul with her body, successfully reviving her (she eventually goes to visit her mother and deal with her own bloodlust). The episode ends with Constantine warning Oliver about Dahrk, which was a nice touch. Ray Palmer was presumed dead for most of the season, but was eventually discovered shrunk, and imprisoned by Dahrk, but alive. He's rescued, but opts to keep his survival a secret until the time is right, keeping Felicity in charge of Palmer Technologies. In the meantime, Oliver's been running for mayor, Captain Lance has been a reluctant associate of Dahrk's (eventually acting as a mole for Team Arrow), and Diggle's brother is discovered as one of Dahrk's henchmen. Diggle's brother shows no signs of remorse for any crimes committed, but whether or not he's brainwashed is uncertain. The year ended with an ending straight out of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. After an awesome battle against Dahrk, Oliver makes a very public proposal to Felicity, and she accepts. In the limo drive afterward, they're gunned down by Dahrk's men. Oliver manages to get to the wheel and drive to safety, but Felicity is unconscious, and could potentially die. The first episode of the season ended with Oliver and Barry standing over a grave, which made me incredibly uneasy. Felicity is my favorite character and if she dies, I'm not sure how much I'll stick around for. It's still a great series, and I'm hoping she pulls through.
Legends Of Tomorrow
While the series proper won't begin until this year, the annual crossover between The Flash and Arrow laid the groundwork, so I'll cover it here. Cisco began dating the beautiful Kendra Saunders, who turned out to be the latest reincarnation of Hawkgirl. When Vandal Savage came after her, it seemed Barry would not be able to take him on alone, so they took a trip to Star City to seek help from Team Arrow. They later run into Hawkman and their backstories are revealed, but Vandal Savage comes after them again. Cisco helps Kendra find her wings, and the teams eventually go back to Central City. At which point Oliver runs into an old flame, and meets his son, who she told him she had miscarried (at his mother's bribe). Barry's running back in time from last season occurs again, so we see events play out in two different ways. At first, Felicity discovers the DNA results between Oliver and his son, gets mad that she was left out of the loop, seemingly dumping him and messing with his focus during the battle. Cisco's device to stop Vandal Savage doesn't work, and Kendra can't unleash her power when it was needed, and the city explodes. Barry outruns the explosion, ends up back at the beginning of the day, and confides in Oliver what happens. And so, things play out differently. Oliver takes Barry's word for it, so no DNA test occurs. He still promises to keep his son a secret, at the mother's behest. This could still be a problem later, but it's better than blowing up in his face. Cisco's device works this time, and he also provides Kendra the encouragement she needs to unleash her power. As a result, Savage goes down, disintegrating into a pile of ash. After all is said and done, Kendra decides to go off with Hawkman and discover who she's supposed to be. There's a twist at the end, though, as Malcolm Merlyn is seen at the end collecting Vandal's ashes, which will likely take part in some ritual later. These episodes are much more inclusive than last year's crossover, both settings and casts play a role in both parts, and we get some important character development for everyone involved.
The second season was all about the emer
Agent Carter
This was a fun series, and a great opportunity to see Peggy shine as a leading lady, fighting not only enemy agents and maintaining her own secret mission, but also dealing with the stigmas and prejudices of the era and proving herself an asset by overcoming those difficulties. I also enjoyed the setting of the late 1940s, and some of the music. The season seems to end with the implication of starting the HYDRA splinter cell within the SSR (later SHIELD). It'll be great to see where this show goes.
Agents Of SHIELD
The second season dealed mostly with the emergence of Inhumans, the reveal of Skye's past and identity (Daisy Johnson AKA Quake), and Ward coming into his own as an enemy. The show managed to tie into Age Of Ultron by revealing the new Helicarrier and sending intel to the Avengers that would set off the movie. While still not recognized by the US government, it's at least cemented that SHIELD is active again in the MCU and training new superhumans. By the end of the second season, Coulson has lost a hand, Simmons is sucked through a portal to an alien planet, and terrigen crystals have been dispersed into the world's water supply (mostly contaminating fish). The third season kicks off as people who have taken fish oil tablets have been turned into Inhumans. SHIELD has been trying to round them up and recruit them, as well as keep them safe from anyone else. However, another Inhuman called Lash has been killing them before they can get to them. Turns out this is Melinda May's ex-husband, who was once a good man, but has given in almost completely to Lash's instincts. Simmons is rescued, but is driven by a need to rescue the astronaut who was stranded there too and helped her survive. HYDRA sends a team through the portal and Coulson follows suit. Ward is killed on the planet, and the astronaut is revealed to be dead, having been possessed by an entity on the planet, which later takes possession of Ward. We also get some more development for Agents Hunter and Morse (Mockingbird). Supposedly, they're getting their own show soon. I had initially heard that ABC opted not to do it, but perhaps they changed their mind.
Gotham
Some say that villains are being introduced to the show too early. I would be inclined to agree, but I still find myself watching every week. The bigger problem in the show is probably James Gordon. He's supposed to be the good cop on a corrupt police force, but we've seen Gordon make some controversial decisions toward the end of the first season and throughout the second. At the very beginning of this season, he makes a deal with Penguin (the big crime boss in the city now) to get his badge back. His precinct gets a new no nonsense Captain played by Michael Chiklis. His zero tolerance stance on corruption is exactly what Gordon and the GCPD need, but if he would have fired Gordon in a heartbeat if he knew about it. The Joker we saw last season turned out to be a red herring who gets killed early on this season, implying that his theatrics and laugh inspire whoever will become the real Joker. Edward Nygma goes down a dark path, dealing with schizophrenia and falling completely off the deep end after inadvertently killing the woman he loved. It's a real shame to see this happen so soon, because I liked the character and the actor. He's still great in the role, I just wished they'd slowed his progression. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne continues his investigation into is parents' murder, while an evil man named Theo Galavan works his way into both arcs. He was a villain with good publicity, running for mayor one moment, and orchestrating villainy in another. He uses his niece, Silver St. Cloud, to try and get close to Bruce and acquire his family's company. There are several complicated threads involving other villains, Barbara Keane going insane, Gordon's relationshp with Dr. Thompkins, and the Penguin. By the end of the year, it looks like it may be difficult for Gordon to come back to Gotham, but he may have to, now that we've caught a glimpse of Mr. Freeze.
Supergirl
DC absolutely hit this one out of the park. By the time the series began, Superman has already established himself as a superhero. His cousin Kara was sent to Earth when he was a baby to protect him as Krypton exploded, but her ship arrived later. And since she was in stasis, she's younger than he is too. For a long time, she was content just living a normal life, but felt a need to use her powers for something greater. So when her adoptive sister's jet is going down, she reveals herself to the world, and now she's working closely with a government organization to take down alien threats and prove herself worthy of her cousin's emblem. Melissa Benoist's performance is wonderful. She's adorable, unsure of herself yet confident at the same time. We've also seen her overbearing boss Cat Grant soften up over time, and her sister's boss Hank Henshaw reveal himself as the Martian Manhunter. I cant wait to see what else happens.
The Big Bang Theory
For the most part, it's been a lot of fun. We've seen Penny and Leonard get married. Sheldon and Amy broke up, got back together, and lost their virginity. The break-up did hurt, though. Not much else to say about it.
Bones
The previous season was supposedly the final one, and while it went out on a high note, something irked me about Booth's gambling addiction subplot. For me, it seemed to come out of nowhere. Perhaps had I seen the series more regularly when it started, I would have picked up on it, but it still seemed out of left field for me. When it returned in the fall, Booth returned to the FBI, Brennan went back to the Jeffersonian, and the only real thing to change was Saroyan's relationship ending. There was a crossover with Sleepy Hollow. I don't watch that series, but I checked out their episode. It was actually pretty well handled. Any supernatural elements were either kept away from the Bones characters, keeping their realistic fiction world intact. Even so, I get the feeling that while the Bones episode is canon to both shows, the Sleepy Hollow episode might not be canon to Bones. That's just my own assumption, so I can't really say for certain. Still, it was neat to see these two casts interact a little.
Castle
The story of the mystery writer turned private investigator and his police detective wife took an unpleasant turn when the current season began. Beckett has been promoted to captain, and stumbles into another link in the chain regarding Senator Bracken and her mother's murder. Bracken himself is killed in prison, and while Beckett continues investigating this on the down low, she decided to leave Castle. Stubborn as always, he takes every opportunity to get in on police investigations and help solve cases, trying to win her back, or at least stay in her life. I'm a little behind, though, so if they're still together by the end of the year I have no idea. This has been a trying year for television relationships, and I'm tired of seeing characters I like get dumped.
Galavant
This unevenly fun musical parody series follows a knight who tried to save his beloved from marrying the evil King Richard, only for her to reject him and go through with the marriage. Some time later, Galavant is recruited by a princess to save her parents and take back her kingdom, only to learn that she's working for Richard much later. The time slot is an hour long, but each episode is only half an hour, so we got two episodes every week for a few weeks. The series is normally pretty funny, but a few bits do get annoying sometimes. The songs are catchy, and the actors have enough charisma to keep your attention. Richard, despite his ruthless reputation, is pretty ineffectual and actually wants to be a better, more beloved ruler to his people. Queen Madalena, on the other hand, quickly becomes a ruthless baroness, who manages to overthrow her husband by the end of the season. Surprisingly enough, it was given a second season that began earlier this month. It's still a fun musical romp throughout its run.
Jessica Jones
I only caught the first two episodes before the new year began. Like Daredevil, we get to see the seedy underbelly of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The titular character is a former superhero turned private investigator. A mind controlling man named Killgrave (known in comics as the Purple Man), once had her under his thumb, as he has done with many people, and it seems he's resurfaced and is actively making her life miserable. We also meet Luke Cage, another superpowered individual, who kind of wants to be left alone. Krysten Ritter plays Jessica, and seems to roll with the punches over time. It's interesting that she doesn't publicize her abilities, but doesn't exactly hide them either. Still watching, so will have to follow this up eventually.
Power Rangers Dino Charge
This first half has been a pretty nice improvement over Megaforce, balancing out a healthy amount of stock footage with genuine story arcs and character growth. Some of the best episodes this season have been the Ranger introductions. Rise Of A Ranger saw Prince Phillip get ahold of the Graphite Energem, and after several failed attempts to bond with it, finally becomes a Ranger after saving Chase's little sister. World Famous (In New Zealand) gave us a one-shot Purple Ranger. Albert Smith was a fraudulent Bigfoot hunter, who nonetheless had a taste for adventure and a desire to do good for his country. He finds the Energem after saving a little girl stranded on a mountainside and it bonds with him. One the other Rangers find him, he's been using his powers and a police scanner to stop street crime. They recruit him into the team, but he freezes up when fighting aliens. Tyler does help him find his courage by the end of the episode, but he can't bring himself to leave New Zealand. So Keeper unbonds him from the Energem, leaving it up to the others to find a new Purple Ranger. But after Sledge recruits a humanoid captive named Heckyl, the Purple Energem is eventually taken by Fury, leading to the "season" finale One More Energem. Kendall builds a robot that will locate the stolen Energem, but first they have to get it into one of Sledge's transport pods. Unfortunately, Sledge also manages to take the Red Energem from Tyler and capture Keeper, so Kendall goes up to Sledge's ship in the same transport pod. Tyler and Shelby eventually go up after her. Eventually Kendall gets the Energem, rescues Keeper, and becomes the Purple Ranger. Shelby escapes with them, and Tyler confronts Sledge himself, all while the remaining Rangers fight off a monster in their Megazords. Thanks to Kendall's robot, Tyler gets back his Energem before Sledge can use it as a weapon, and brings the ship down. He's saved just in the nick of time by the others as Sledge's ship crashes. The Rangers go their separate ways temporarily, ready for when they're needed again and the other Energems are discovered. Meanwhile, something sinister pokes its head out of Heckyl's holding cell. I look forward to what happens next. Saban and Nickelodeon have finally regained that balance that keeps the show entertaining.
The Muppets
I wish I'd watched this a little more often, but the DVR never seemed to sync up with it. However, it's the Muppets, so you're bound to enjoy it in some capacity. It's The Muppet Show meets The Office. The characters are once again putting on a show (a late-night talk show hosted by Miss Piggy) and all sorts of things can go wrong. The real focus, however, is on the characters' lives behind the scenes. Kermit and Piggy broke up at some point before the show began, and the fact that he's the producer and she's the star makes some things awkward. Fozzie's dating a human, and her parents don't really approve. Supposedly the ratings haven't been strong, though, so the format might change up a little when more episodes are made.
Henry Danger
While I didn't watch the show on a regular basis, I did see an episode once in a while, and it's almost a guilty pleasure. As the intro explains, Henry Hart is looking for an after-school job and finds one as the sidekick for the local superhero Captain Man. Probably more suited for kids in their pre-teens or early teens, but it's not particularly bad. I also like that Captain Man has invulnerability, but he still feels pain, and that Henry himself is a loyal friend and sidekick.
Doctor Who
We had a pretty solid season this time around, consisting mostly of two-part stories and at last a return to Gallifrey. The first two episodes were great. We got Missy the Master, the Daleks, and Davros. Evil as he may be, I can't help but think that Davros had a genuine reaction when he heard that Gallifrey was still out there. He was truly happy for the Doctor, and it made me wonder if he had the chance to revive the Kaleds and the Thals if he would. A new sort-of adversary was introduced. A Norse woman named Ashildr, who the Doctor gave an alien chip to in order to save her life, allowing her to live forever. She eventually cast of her name, and simply calls herself Me, having lived through several lifetimes and identities. She creates a sanctuary city for aliens living on Earth, sets a mystery trap for the Doctor, and Clara Oswald's cleverness backfires in a huge (but kinda stupid) way, leading to her death. The episode after that had the Doctor completely alone, something the series has never done before, which ended with his arrival on Gallifrey. He then attempts to save Clara's life, but it's a fixed point. Alive she may be, but her heart won't beat.Meeting with Ashildr at the end of time, he decides to erase Clara's memory and sending her back like he did with Donna, but instead he ends up with his memory erased, while she and Ashildr, go off in a new TARDIS that looks like a diner. There is one element I wasn't particularly fond of. In the finale, we see a Time Lord regenerate into a Time Lady as if it was nothing. While I've accepted the idea that regenderation is possible, I don't accept it as normal. She even states that she had been a woman up until her previous life, so the theory that a catalyst or additional variable might be required could still be possible, but it only works for that one incarnation. By the following life, you'll regenderate again. Stephen Moffat only has one season left, which he's unfortunately waiting a whole year for. I'm really hoping he's not setting up for a female Doctor. The season truly ended with the Christmas special, The Husbands Of River Song. It's really great to see Capaldi's Doctor interact with her, especially since she spends most of the episode not knowing who he is. It's a bittersweet ending as it seems he's able to spend the next 24 years with her (one night on that particular planet), but they'll never see each other again. (She'll meet him one last time when he was David Tennant, but all his encounters are now in the past.) Still, a good way to finish out the year.
The Walking Dead
After dealing with Terminus and a hospital run by corrupt cops, the group met a man named Aaron, who brought them to Alexandria. The city is heavily walled to keep out the zombies, but Deanna seems to put more emphasis on keeping the interior safe and comfortable rather than preparing her people for the world outside. Some characters find it easier to adapt inside than others. Carol wisely manages to blend in, hiding her more hardened aspects and acting like a normal housewife. Sasha has a nervous breakdown. Eugene grows a backbone in order to save Tara when he had to. Carl might just get himself a girlfriend. Rick nearly becomes Shane. Over the course of this year, (second half of season 5, first half of season 6), we lost Tyreese, Noah, and several others. The group is now facing off against a tribe of feral humans called the Wolves, led by a man named Negan, who has yet to be revealed. Every episode of the sixth season so far has taken place during the same 24-hour period. After discovering a huge horde of zombies in a rock quarry, Rick leads an attempt to corral them away from Alexandria, but the Wolves anticipated this and brought down a huge section of the wall. Glenn goes missing, and was presumed dead for a long time. He manages to signal his survival just as the walls come crashing down. Alexandria could still be salvaged, but for now it's time to evacuate using the old method of camouflaging yourselves in zombie guts. It's a tense moment as Rick leads his group out and a scared Sam has to ask his mom a question. Meanwhile, a dying Deanna makes a defiant stand against the horde to try and buy them time. We also saw the return of Morgan, who has regained his sanity with some help from a cheese maker and has a strict policy against killing the living. I'm looking forward to what happens this year.
Fear The Walking Dead
Taking place at the early stages of the outbreak and on the other side of the country, this series is a pretty mixed bag. It's interesting seeing characters learn what they're dealing with and how to survive. The group is an eclectic broken family; a man and his kids, the woman he's dating and her kids, as well as some illegal immigrants who were kind enough to help them when they needed it. One of the main characters is a drug addict, and is the first one made aware of the zombies. At first, he doesn't know if what he's seeing is real or a drug-induced hallucination, but that doesn't last long. We see the government intervene and occupy the area, but also collecting people who they believe might turn and becoming an adversary. The audience is well aware of what is about to happen, but the characters are not. As such, we see some people acting pragmatically and others acting stupid. The most egregious example of this was in the third (?) episode when the family breaks into a neighbor's house to get a weapon to protect themselves with. While everyone stands by to keep lookout, they leave the door to their own house wide open, allowing a zombified neighbor to walk right in and kill their dog. Even if you don't understand there are undead killers walking around, you do realize there's a crisis. Still, I kept watching. I like the new surroundings of the show and a few of the characters. I'm not as emotionally invested in them as I am in Rick's group, but it's still early in the show. Time will tell if this sticks.
The Flash
The second season kicked off where the first season ended, a giant time hole over Central City and the Flash trying to close it. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it without Firestorm's help, who split himself up to get it closed. Professor Stein was saved, but Ronny hasn't been seen since. A new Firestorm was later brought in to keep Stein stable. A recorded confession from Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne secured Barry's father's release from prison, who promptly went along his way. The singularity left several wormholes open throughout the city allowing for visitors from a parallel Earth, including Atom Smasher, Dr. Light, Jay Garrick (an alternate Flash), and their own Harrison "Harry" Wells. But the most dangerous of all is Zoom, a speedster clad in black who can run even faster than Barry, and brought him down with ease during their first encounter. Harry wants to help Barry bring down Zoom, but has to tread carefully because Zoom is holding his daughter Jessie (Quick?) hostage. The year ended with a team-up between the Trickster and Weather Wizard, and the introduction of Iris's brother, Wally West (the eventual Kid Flash). Barry also got himself a new girlfriend, a police officer on the metahuman task force with a personal score to settle with Weather Wizard. It's been a strong season so far, and I hope it continues this way.
Arrow
Damien Dahrk and his HIVE are terrorizing Star City and Team Arrow has been running ragged trying to stop them, so Oliver is called back to help them as the Green Arrow. Thea, now Speedy, is having some rage problems thanks to being resurrected by the Lazarus Pit. As such, she has to kill from time to time to stay in control. She and Laurel take a trip to Nanda Parbat, which results in the resurrection of her sister Sarah. Unfortunately, Sarah's been dead too long so her soul is completely absent from her body. Once Team Arrow tracks her down, Oliver calls in a favor from an old friend: John Constantine. I decided to marathon through the cancelled series in preparation for this episode. And while it helped, and made it that much cooler to see the character on the show, it wasn't necessarily needed to enjoy the character. The best thing was that they worked him into the flashbacks, rather than just showing up in present day. In the current flashback arc, Waller has enlisted Oliver to infiltrate a drug cartel on a different island. He runs into Constantine while there, who uncovers a mystical artifact that both he and the drug boss may have been looking for. Ollie saves his life when they set off a trap, and so he owed him one. In the present, once he arrives in Star City, they perform a ritual to unite Sarah's soul with her body, successfully reviving her (she eventually goes to visit her mother and deal with her own bloodlust). The episode ends with Constantine warning Oliver about Dahrk, which was a nice touch. Ray Palmer was presumed dead for most of the season, but was eventually discovered shrunk, and imprisoned by Dahrk, but alive. He's rescued, but opts to keep his survival a secret until the time is right, keeping Felicity in charge of Palmer Technologies. In the meantime, Oliver's been running for mayor, Captain Lance has been a reluctant associate of Dahrk's (eventually acting as a mole for Team Arrow), and Diggle's brother is discovered as one of Dahrk's henchmen. Diggle's brother shows no signs of remorse for any crimes committed, but whether or not he's brainwashed is uncertain. The year ended with an ending straight out of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. After an awesome battle against Dahrk, Oliver makes a very public proposal to Felicity, and she accepts. In the limo drive afterward, they're gunned down by Dahrk's men. Oliver manages to get to the wheel and drive to safety, but Felicity is unconscious, and could potentially die. The first episode of the season ended with Oliver and Barry standing over a grave, which made me incredibly uneasy. Felicity is my favorite character and if she dies, I'm not sure how much I'll stick around for. It's still a great series, and I'm hoping she pulls through.
Legends Of Tomorrow
While the series proper won't begin until this year, the annual crossover between The Flash and Arrow laid the groundwork, so I'll cover it here. Cisco began dating the beautiful Kendra Saunders, who turned out to be the latest reincarnation of Hawkgirl. When Vandal Savage came after her, it seemed Barry would not be able to take him on alone, so they took a trip to Star City to seek help from Team Arrow. They later run into Hawkman and their backstories are revealed, but Vandal Savage comes after them again. Cisco helps Kendra find her wings, and the teams eventually go back to Central City. At which point Oliver runs into an old flame, and meets his son, who she told him she had miscarried (at his mother's bribe). Barry's running back in time from last season occurs again, so we see events play out in two different ways. At first, Felicity discovers the DNA results between Oliver and his son, gets mad that she was left out of the loop, seemingly dumping him and messing with his focus during the battle. Cisco's device to stop Vandal Savage doesn't work, and Kendra can't unleash her power when it was needed, and the city explodes. Barry outruns the explosion, ends up back at the beginning of the day, and confides in Oliver what happens. And so, things play out differently. Oliver takes Barry's word for it, so no DNA test occurs. He still promises to keep his son a secret, at the mother's behest. This could still be a problem later, but it's better than blowing up in his face. Cisco's device works this time, and he also provides Kendra the encouragement she needs to unleash her power. As a result, Savage goes down, disintegrating into a pile of ash. After all is said and done, Kendra decides to go off with Hawkman and discover who she's supposed to be. There's a twist at the end, though, as Malcolm Merlyn is seen at the end collecting Vandal's ashes, which will likely take part in some ritual later. These episodes are much more inclusive than last year's crossover, both settings and casts play a role in both parts, and we get some important character development for everyone involved.
The second season was all about the emer
Agent Carter
This was a fun series, and a great opportunity to see Peggy shine as a leading lady, fighting not only enemy agents and maintaining her own secret mission, but also dealing with the stigmas and prejudices of the era and proving herself an asset by overcoming those difficulties. I also enjoyed the setting of the late 1940s, and some of the music. The season seems to end with the implication of starting the HYDRA splinter cell within the SSR (later SHIELD). It'll be great to see where this show goes.
Agents Of SHIELD
The second season dealed mostly with the emergence of Inhumans, the reveal of Skye's past and identity (Daisy Johnson AKA Quake), and Ward coming into his own as an enemy. The show managed to tie into Age Of Ultron by revealing the new Helicarrier and sending intel to the Avengers that would set off the movie. While still not recognized by the US government, it's at least cemented that SHIELD is active again in the MCU and training new superhumans. By the end of the second season, Coulson has lost a hand, Simmons is sucked through a portal to an alien planet, and terrigen crystals have been dispersed into the world's water supply (mostly contaminating fish). The third season kicks off as people who have taken fish oil tablets have been turned into Inhumans. SHIELD has been trying to round them up and recruit them, as well as keep them safe from anyone else. However, another Inhuman called Lash has been killing them before they can get to them. Turns out this is Melinda May's ex-husband, who was once a good man, but has given in almost completely to Lash's instincts. Simmons is rescued, but is driven by a need to rescue the astronaut who was stranded there too and helped her survive. HYDRA sends a team through the portal and Coulson follows suit. Ward is killed on the planet, and the astronaut is revealed to be dead, having been possessed by an entity on the planet, which later takes possession of Ward. We also get some more development for Agents Hunter and Morse (Mockingbird). Supposedly, they're getting their own show soon. I had initially heard that ABC opted not to do it, but perhaps they changed their mind.
Gotham
Some say that villains are being introduced to the show too early. I would be inclined to agree, but I still find myself watching every week. The bigger problem in the show is probably James Gordon. He's supposed to be the good cop on a corrupt police force, but we've seen Gordon make some controversial decisions toward the end of the first season and throughout the second. At the very beginning of this season, he makes a deal with Penguin (the big crime boss in the city now) to get his badge back. His precinct gets a new no nonsense Captain played by Michael Chiklis. His zero tolerance stance on corruption is exactly what Gordon and the GCPD need, but if he would have fired Gordon in a heartbeat if he knew about it. The Joker we saw last season turned out to be a red herring who gets killed early on this season, implying that his theatrics and laugh inspire whoever will become the real Joker. Edward Nygma goes down a dark path, dealing with schizophrenia and falling completely off the deep end after inadvertently killing the woman he loved. It's a real shame to see this happen so soon, because I liked the character and the actor. He's still great in the role, I just wished they'd slowed his progression. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne continues his investigation into is parents' murder, while an evil man named Theo Galavan works his way into both arcs. He was a villain with good publicity, running for mayor one moment, and orchestrating villainy in another. He uses his niece, Silver St. Cloud, to try and get close to Bruce and acquire his family's company. There are several complicated threads involving other villains, Barbara Keane going insane, Gordon's relationshp with Dr. Thompkins, and the Penguin. By the end of the year, it looks like it may be difficult for Gordon to come back to Gotham, but he may have to, now that we've caught a glimpse of Mr. Freeze.
Supergirl
DC absolutely hit this one out of the park. By the time the series began, Superman has already established himself as a superhero. His cousin Kara was sent to Earth when he was a baby to protect him as Krypton exploded, but her ship arrived later. And since she was in stasis, she's younger than he is too. For a long time, she was content just living a normal life, but felt a need to use her powers for something greater. So when her adoptive sister's jet is going down, she reveals herself to the world, and now she's working closely with a government organization to take down alien threats and prove herself worthy of her cousin's emblem. Melissa Benoist's performance is wonderful. She's adorable, unsure of herself yet confident at the same time. We've also seen her overbearing boss Cat Grant soften up over time, and her sister's boss Hank Henshaw reveal himself as the Martian Manhunter. I cant wait to see what else happens.
The Big Bang Theory
For the most part, it's been a lot of fun. We've seen Penny and Leonard get married. Sheldon and Amy broke up, got back together, and lost their virginity. The break-up did hurt, though. Not much else to say about it.
Bones
The previous season was supposedly the final one, and while it went out on a high note, something irked me about Booth's gambling addiction subplot. For me, it seemed to come out of nowhere. Perhaps had I seen the series more regularly when it started, I would have picked up on it, but it still seemed out of left field for me. When it returned in the fall, Booth returned to the FBI, Brennan went back to the Jeffersonian, and the only real thing to change was Saroyan's relationship ending. There was a crossover with Sleepy Hollow. I don't watch that series, but I checked out their episode. It was actually pretty well handled. Any supernatural elements were either kept away from the Bones characters, keeping their realistic fiction world intact. Even so, I get the feeling that while the Bones episode is canon to both shows, the Sleepy Hollow episode might not be canon to Bones. That's just my own assumption, so I can't really say for certain. Still, it was neat to see these two casts interact a little.
Castle
The story of the mystery writer turned private investigator and his police detective wife took an unpleasant turn when the current season began. Beckett has been promoted to captain, and stumbles into another link in the chain regarding Senator Bracken and her mother's murder. Bracken himself is killed in prison, and while Beckett continues investigating this on the down low, she decided to leave Castle. Stubborn as always, he takes every opportunity to get in on police investigations and help solve cases, trying to win her back, or at least stay in her life. I'm a little behind, though, so if they're still together by the end of the year I have no idea. This has been a trying year for television relationships, and I'm tired of seeing characters I like get dumped.
Galavant
This unevenly fun musical parody series follows a knight who tried to save his beloved from marrying the evil King Richard, only for her to reject him and go through with the marriage. Some time later, Galavant is recruited by a princess to save her parents and take back her kingdom, only to learn that she's working for Richard much later. The time slot is an hour long, but each episode is only half an hour, so we got two episodes every week for a few weeks. The series is normally pretty funny, but a few bits do get annoying sometimes. The songs are catchy, and the actors have enough charisma to keep your attention. Richard, despite his ruthless reputation, is pretty ineffectual and actually wants to be a better, more beloved ruler to his people. Queen Madalena, on the other hand, quickly becomes a ruthless baroness, who manages to overthrow her husband by the end of the season. Surprisingly enough, it was given a second season that began earlier this month. It's still a fun musical romp throughout its run.
Jessica Jones
I only caught the first two episodes before the new year began. Like Daredevil, we get to see the seedy underbelly of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The titular character is a former superhero turned private investigator. A mind controlling man named Killgrave (known in comics as the Purple Man), once had her under his thumb, as he has done with many people, and it seems he's resurfaced and is actively making her life miserable. We also meet Luke Cage, another superpowered individual, who kind of wants to be left alone. Krysten Ritter plays Jessica, and seems to roll with the punches over time. It's interesting that she doesn't publicize her abilities, but doesn't exactly hide them either. Still watching, so will have to follow this up eventually.
Power Rangers Dino Charge
This first half has been a pretty nice improvement over Megaforce, balancing out a healthy amount of stock footage with genuine story arcs and character growth. Some of the best episodes this season have been the Ranger introductions. Rise Of A Ranger saw Prince Phillip get ahold of the Graphite Energem, and after several failed attempts to bond with it, finally becomes a Ranger after saving Chase's little sister. World Famous (In New Zealand) gave us a one-shot Purple Ranger. Albert Smith was a fraudulent Bigfoot hunter, who nonetheless had a taste for adventure and a desire to do good for his country. He finds the Energem after saving a little girl stranded on a mountainside and it bonds with him. One the other Rangers find him, he's been using his powers and a police scanner to stop street crime. They recruit him into the team, but he freezes up when fighting aliens. Tyler does help him find his courage by the end of the episode, but he can't bring himself to leave New Zealand. So Keeper unbonds him from the Energem, leaving it up to the others to find a new Purple Ranger. But after Sledge recruits a humanoid captive named Heckyl, the Purple Energem is eventually taken by Fury, leading to the "season" finale One More Energem. Kendall builds a robot that will locate the stolen Energem, but first they have to get it into one of Sledge's transport pods. Unfortunately, Sledge also manages to take the Red Energem from Tyler and capture Keeper, so Kendall goes up to Sledge's ship in the same transport pod. Tyler and Shelby eventually go up after her. Eventually Kendall gets the Energem, rescues Keeper, and becomes the Purple Ranger. Shelby escapes with them, and Tyler confronts Sledge himself, all while the remaining Rangers fight off a monster in their Megazords. Thanks to Kendall's robot, Tyler gets back his Energem before Sledge can use it as a weapon, and brings the ship down. He's saved just in the nick of time by the others as Sledge's ship crashes. The Rangers go their separate ways temporarily, ready for when they're needed again and the other Energems are discovered. Meanwhile, something sinister pokes its head out of Heckyl's holding cell. I look forward to what happens next. Saban and Nickelodeon have finally regained that balance that keeps the show entertaining.
The Muppets
I wish I'd watched this a little more often, but the DVR never seemed to sync up with it. However, it's the Muppets, so you're bound to enjoy it in some capacity. It's The Muppet Show meets The Office. The characters are once again putting on a show (a late-night talk show hosted by Miss Piggy) and all sorts of things can go wrong. The real focus, however, is on the characters' lives behind the scenes. Kermit and Piggy broke up at some point before the show began, and the fact that he's the producer and she's the star makes some things awkward. Fozzie's dating a human, and her parents don't really approve. Supposedly the ratings haven't been strong, though, so the format might change up a little when more episodes are made.
Henry Danger
While I didn't watch the show on a regular basis, I did see an episode once in a while, and it's almost a guilty pleasure. As the intro explains, Henry Hart is looking for an after-school job and finds one as the sidekick for the local superhero Captain Man. Probably more suited for kids in their pre-teens or early teens, but it's not particularly bad. I also like that Captain Man has invulnerability, but he still feels pain, and that Henry himself is a loyal friend and sidekick.
Doctor Who
We had a pretty solid season this time around, consisting mostly of two-part stories and at last a return to Gallifrey. The first two episodes were great. We got Missy the Master, the Daleks, and Davros. Evil as he may be, I can't help but think that Davros had a genuine reaction when he heard that Gallifrey was still out there. He was truly happy for the Doctor, and it made me wonder if he had the chance to revive the Kaleds and the Thals if he would. A new sort-of adversary was introduced. A Norse woman named Ashildr, who the Doctor gave an alien chip to in order to save her life, allowing her to live forever. She eventually cast of her name, and simply calls herself Me, having lived through several lifetimes and identities. She creates a sanctuary city for aliens living on Earth, sets a mystery trap for the Doctor, and Clara Oswald's cleverness backfires in a huge (but kinda stupid) way, leading to her death. The episode after that had the Doctor completely alone, something the series has never done before, which ended with his arrival on Gallifrey. He then attempts to save Clara's life, but it's a fixed point. Alive she may be, but her heart won't beat.Meeting with Ashildr at the end of time, he decides to erase Clara's memory and sending her back like he did with Donna, but instead he ends up with his memory erased, while she and Ashildr, go off in a new TARDIS that looks like a diner. There is one element I wasn't particularly fond of. In the finale, we see a Time Lord regenerate into a Time Lady as if it was nothing. While I've accepted the idea that regenderation is possible, I don't accept it as normal. She even states that she had been a woman up until her previous life, so the theory that a catalyst or additional variable might be required could still be possible, but it only works for that one incarnation. By the following life, you'll regenderate again. Stephen Moffat only has one season left, which he's unfortunately waiting a whole year for. I'm really hoping he's not setting up for a female Doctor. The season truly ended with the Christmas special, The Husbands Of River Song. It's really great to see Capaldi's Doctor interact with her, especially since she spends most of the episode not knowing who he is. It's a bittersweet ending as it seems he's able to spend the next 24 years with her (one night on that particular planet), but they'll never see each other again. (She'll meet him one last time when he was David Tennant, but all his encounters are now in the past.) Still, a good way to finish out the year.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Power Rangers Dino Charge- Break Out
Previous episodes established the core team, and the need to find the Energems before Sledge does. Somebody is inside Fury (who has gained control of the Ptera Zord) and trying to break free, who Tyler assumes might be his father. When an exhibit on the Stone of Zandar ends up in their museum, the team now finds themselves in possession of the Gold Energem, which will allow him to keep the Ptera Zord charged. Tyler and Shelby posed as royals to lure Fury out, and while they kept the Energem, Fury still has a Ptera Charger to use against the Rangers.
This episode picks up as Prince Phillip III of Zandar shows up with his security detail to confiscate the exhibit and return it home, the Energem along with it. They're ambushed by Fury and a new monster. Although Phillip wasn't exactly nice to them, the Rangers still don't hesitate to protect him.
Once Fury himself gets ahold of the Energem, the person trapped inside Fury is let out. It's not Tyler's father after all, but the legendary Knight of Zandar, Sir Ivan. A morpher manifests on his wrist, allowing him to morph into the Dino Charge Gold Ranger. He quickly dispatches the mooks, monsters, and Fury with a bit of Zandar Thunder, and takes control of the Ptera Charge Megazord when the monster grows.
Ivan swears loyalty to Phillip, who relinquishes the Gold Energem to the fabled hero. After a short introduction to the other Rangers, Ivan goes off on his way, unclear if he's joining the team or not.
Standard in some ways to most Sixth Ranger introductions, but Ivan himself makes for a cool character. Like Caveman Koda, he's a relic from another time, and it's always neat to see an Arthurian type in a modern setting. Plenty of opportunities for him to bond and clash with his teammates. The question is still raised as to where Tyler's father is, and it's possible he's still inside Fury somewhere. All that remains to be seen.
This episode picks up as Prince Phillip III of Zandar shows up with his security detail to confiscate the exhibit and return it home, the Energem along with it. They're ambushed by Fury and a new monster. Although Phillip wasn't exactly nice to them, the Rangers still don't hesitate to protect him.
Once Fury himself gets ahold of the Energem, the person trapped inside Fury is let out. It's not Tyler's father after all, but the legendary Knight of Zandar, Sir Ivan. A morpher manifests on his wrist, allowing him to morph into the Dino Charge Gold Ranger. He quickly dispatches the mooks, monsters, and Fury with a bit of Zandar Thunder, and takes control of the Ptera Charge Megazord when the monster grows.
Ivan swears loyalty to Phillip, who relinquishes the Gold Energem to the fabled hero. After a short introduction to the other Rangers, Ivan goes off on his way, unclear if he's joining the team or not.
Standard in some ways to most Sixth Ranger introductions, but Ivan himself makes for a cool character. Like Caveman Koda, he's a relic from another time, and it's always neat to see an Arthurian type in a modern setting. Plenty of opportunities for him to bond and clash with his teammates. The question is still raised as to where Tyler's father is, and it's possible he's still inside Fury somewhere. All that remains to be seen.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Power Rangers Dino Charge- Powers From The Past
A new season begins, and we're looking at dinosaurs for the third time in the franchise. We begin on the ship of an alien bounty hunter named Sledge. He looks vaguely like a cross between a Judoon and a Predator, a neat look for a seemingly original villain (no Japanese suit counterpart). He and his bright pink fiancee Poisandra are in pursuit of another ship. This ship belongs to the Keeper, and is shot down onto a prehistoric Earth.
Cue theme song. There's a tribal rhythm to get it going, and some actual lyrics beyond the Go Go Power Rangers chorus, something we haven't really had since Jungle Fury. Also, our heroes aren't shouting their names as soon as they pop up in the credits, which has been an unnecessary staple of the Nickelodeon era. It's nice to see that come to a halt, and for the composer to come up with something original again. My favorite part of the intro is towards the end where the Rangers are seemingly doing their roll call poses while the background behind them changes, cut to sync with the music. Each shot is likely taken from different points in the source material, and the Rangers' movements are seamless.
Back to the show, the Keeper has survived his crash to Earth, and is greeted by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Convincing the T-Rex he's of no threat, he asks it to gather the planet's bravest together to protect his Energems. Sledge is after these powerful stones, and has sent his lackey Fury to retrieve them from the crash. Fury finds the Keeper playing dead, is about to finish the job, when he spots the Energem casing and takes it back to his master. Sledge's bounty includes several monsters, who I'm sure will pop up later in the series, as well as a large collection of asteroids, a hobby Poisandra does not approve of. Upon arrival, it's revealed that the Keeper has emptied it and replaced the contents of the casing with a bomb. Sledge's ship promptly blows up, and as he swears revenge on the Keeper from his escape pod, his asteroids are sent straight towards Earth.
Before they land, the Keeper is able to infuse the powers of his Energems into the dinosaurs the T-Rex gathered before him. Fury has managed to survive Sledge's ship, ends up back on Earth and confronts the Keeper. Surprisingly enough, Keeper actually puts up a fight but is nonetheless defeated. Fury is about to finish the job, when the asteroids land on Earth and cause the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Approximately 65 million years later, we're at a museum where a tour guide is lecturing about the dinosaurs. Among the museum patrons is Tyler Navarro. He's looking over the dinosaurs and the volcanic caves that a fossil was discovered in, Samson Caves. He asks a janitor, Chase Randall, for directions, who gladly provides them.
Chase heads for the museum's dino-themed restaurant, where Shelby Watkins is working. She delivers an order to the wrong table and then runs after Chase. There seems to be a mutual attraction between them, and she really wants to go on an archeological dig with the museum crew. She's turned down by the bespectacled Kendall Morgan, who seems to be in charge, due to museum policy. Also going on the expedition is Koda, who keeps his uniforms sleeveless. He doesn't say much and acts a bit like a monkey. (Fun fact: Koda's actor, Yoshi Sudarso, is a long-time fan of the show, and in past seasons has worked as a stunt double for fight scenes and live events, and now living the dream getting to play a real character on the series.) Shelby stows away on the expedition anyway.
Tyler arrives to the cave Chase mentioned and goes spelunking inside. A creatue in a cloak suddenlys tarts chasing him, but he conceals himself by dousing his headlight. He then discovers a dinosaur fossil and the red Energem, which he promptly takes.
Back at the expedition, the cloaked figure steals a box from the truck Shelby was stowing away in. When nobody can hear her shouts about the theft, she runs after him herself. She grabs the box back from him when he's not looking and is shot down by the creature. Fortunately for her, Tyler swings in on a rope and grabs the box. The monster throws off his cloak, revealing an icy design, and fires on them. Tyler reflects the blasts with a shovel, but since it's just a regular shovel, it doesn't last long, and another blast knocks them over. The crate falls open revealing the pink Energem, as well as causing Tyler to drop his own red one. As they reach for them the monster fires another blast at the two, causing them to freeze.
However, they managed to touch the Energems, allowing them to unfreeze. They see a vision of their dinosaurs, and two blasters be revealed. Tyler and Shelby put the Energems into the blasters, which turn yellow. They spin the revolver and fire their blasters, but instead of just shooting the monster, the blast comes back to them and morphs them into the Red and Pink Rangers respectively. We then get our first Ranger fight scene, and they do a pretty good job before the T-Rex Zord shows up, picks the monster up with his teeth and flings him away.
As Tyler drives Shelby back to the city, he explains his backstory: his father was a paleontologist who disappeared on an expedition. Going by his journal, it seems Fury might have something to do with his disappearance, who just happens to be following the car, hot on the trail of their Energems...
Strong start to a Power Rangers series, although that's not always an indication of what the series has in store for us. (Both halves of Megaforce had strong beginnings, but didn't have as much of a payoff as we had hoped.) Even so, this episode has a few things Megaforce and Samurai didn't really have. For starters, there's more original footage to go around. There's no scenes of the Rangers until the final few minutes, and even then, only two of them morph. It's really strange that Riley Griffin did not appear in this episode, despite being one of the core five Rangers. Despite that, it's nice to see the series actually take time to set up the premise (a good one at that) without relying to heavily on exposition, and we have a nice diverse cast so far who I look forward to watching on a weekly basis, presumably inevitable the summer hiatus doesn't last too long.
Cue theme song. There's a tribal rhythm to get it going, and some actual lyrics beyond the Go Go Power Rangers chorus, something we haven't really had since Jungle Fury. Also, our heroes aren't shouting their names as soon as they pop up in the credits, which has been an unnecessary staple of the Nickelodeon era. It's nice to see that come to a halt, and for the composer to come up with something original again. My favorite part of the intro is towards the end where the Rangers are seemingly doing their roll call poses while the background behind them changes, cut to sync with the music. Each shot is likely taken from different points in the source material, and the Rangers' movements are seamless.
Back to the show, the Keeper has survived his crash to Earth, and is greeted by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Convincing the T-Rex he's of no threat, he asks it to gather the planet's bravest together to protect his Energems. Sledge is after these powerful stones, and has sent his lackey Fury to retrieve them from the crash. Fury finds the Keeper playing dead, is about to finish the job, when he spots the Energem casing and takes it back to his master. Sledge's bounty includes several monsters, who I'm sure will pop up later in the series, as well as a large collection of asteroids, a hobby Poisandra does not approve of. Upon arrival, it's revealed that the Keeper has emptied it and replaced the contents of the casing with a bomb. Sledge's ship promptly blows up, and as he swears revenge on the Keeper from his escape pod, his asteroids are sent straight towards Earth.
Before they land, the Keeper is able to infuse the powers of his Energems into the dinosaurs the T-Rex gathered before him. Fury has managed to survive Sledge's ship, ends up back on Earth and confronts the Keeper. Surprisingly enough, Keeper actually puts up a fight but is nonetheless defeated. Fury is about to finish the job, when the asteroids land on Earth and cause the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Approximately 65 million years later, we're at a museum where a tour guide is lecturing about the dinosaurs. Among the museum patrons is Tyler Navarro. He's looking over the dinosaurs and the volcanic caves that a fossil was discovered in, Samson Caves. He asks a janitor, Chase Randall, for directions, who gladly provides them.
Chase heads for the museum's dino-themed restaurant, where Shelby Watkins is working. She delivers an order to the wrong table and then runs after Chase. There seems to be a mutual attraction between them, and she really wants to go on an archeological dig with the museum crew. She's turned down by the bespectacled Kendall Morgan, who seems to be in charge, due to museum policy. Also going on the expedition is Koda, who keeps his uniforms sleeveless. He doesn't say much and acts a bit like a monkey. (Fun fact: Koda's actor, Yoshi Sudarso, is a long-time fan of the show, and in past seasons has worked as a stunt double for fight scenes and live events, and now living the dream getting to play a real character on the series.) Shelby stows away on the expedition anyway.
Tyler arrives to the cave Chase mentioned and goes spelunking inside. A creatue in a cloak suddenlys tarts chasing him, but he conceals himself by dousing his headlight. He then discovers a dinosaur fossil and the red Energem, which he promptly takes.
Back at the expedition, the cloaked figure steals a box from the truck Shelby was stowing away in. When nobody can hear her shouts about the theft, she runs after him herself. She grabs the box back from him when he's not looking and is shot down by the creature. Fortunately for her, Tyler swings in on a rope and grabs the box. The monster throws off his cloak, revealing an icy design, and fires on them. Tyler reflects the blasts with a shovel, but since it's just a regular shovel, it doesn't last long, and another blast knocks them over. The crate falls open revealing the pink Energem, as well as causing Tyler to drop his own red one. As they reach for them the monster fires another blast at the two, causing them to freeze.
However, they managed to touch the Energems, allowing them to unfreeze. They see a vision of their dinosaurs, and two blasters be revealed. Tyler and Shelby put the Energems into the blasters, which turn yellow. They spin the revolver and fire their blasters, but instead of just shooting the monster, the blast comes back to them and morphs them into the Red and Pink Rangers respectively. We then get our first Ranger fight scene, and they do a pretty good job before the T-Rex Zord shows up, picks the monster up with his teeth and flings him away.
As Tyler drives Shelby back to the city, he explains his backstory: his father was a paleontologist who disappeared on an expedition. Going by his journal, it seems Fury might have something to do with his disappearance, who just happens to be following the car, hot on the trail of their Energems...
Strong start to a Power Rangers series, although that's not always an indication of what the series has in store for us. (Both halves of Megaforce had strong beginnings, but didn't have as much of a payoff as we had hoped.) Even so, this episode has a few things Megaforce and Samurai didn't really have. For starters, there's more original footage to go around. There's no scenes of the Rangers until the final few minutes, and even then, only two of them morph. It's really strange that Riley Griffin did not appear in this episode, despite being one of the core five Rangers. Despite that, it's nice to see the series actually take time to set up the premise (a good one at that) without relying to heavily on exposition, and we have a nice diverse cast so far who I look forward to watching on a weekly basis, presumably inevitable the summer hiatus doesn't last too long.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Power Rangers Megaforce- The Legendary Battle
This season, or rather these two seasons, have been a very mixed bag. It had so much potential going in, and while there were a few episodes that lived up to it, it ultimately fell short. These final two episodes exemplified what the series did right, what it did wrong, and what it could have been. It's fortunate that when these two episodes were re-aired together, 15 minutes was added to the runtime with scenes that weren't included in the standalone episodes. Scenes that were shown in this version are represented by italics.
The Wrath
Believing the Armada defeated, Orion decides it's time to head back to Andresia and rebuild his homeworld. He has a heartfelt goodbye with the other Rangers before taking off in the spaceship he arrived in. Shortly after he leaves, Tensou and Gosei pick up a transmission from Emperor Mavro, saying the real invasion is about to begin.
Mavro gives Levira one final chance to prove her worth, sending her down in a mech in her likeness to battle the Legendary Megazord. She puts up a fight but is ultimately brought down using a lightning aura strike. The battle resumes on the ground. She blasts the Rangers with her own artillery, but they put up a shield using Mystic Force's powers. Levira is joined by some of the Armada's royal guards. The Rangers each use one of their Legendary New Powers (except for Troy, who uses Mighty Morphin) to fight them off, and ultimately win. As she blows up, Levira begs Mavro to use the maximizer to make her grow, and he refuses. He then announces his invasion and the Armada ships swarm the sky.
The Rangers morph again and return to the Megazord. Orion's Q-Rex joins them, presumably on autopilot. Using a barrage of attacks with different Ranger Keys, Zords, and attacks, they manage to take out the first wave. Unfortunately, as soon as their finished, a new swarm of ships shows up and obliterates every single one of them. The Rangers are ejected from their Megazord, de-morphing as they hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Orion picks up the signal that Tensou picked up earlier. Realizing his mistake, he doubles back to Earth. Mavro informs the world that the Power Rangers have been destroyed and issues an ultimatum: Surrender or perish. He gives the planet 12 hours to give up and will return at dawn to finish the job. We get one last shot of each of the Rangers lying unconscious in rubble.
The extensions given to this episode aren't quite so obvious, but it added about 5 minutes (2 and a half without commercials) to the episode's runtime. The fight scenes are a bit longer and the pacing is improved, but nothing that stood out. I'm probably in the minority of fans who enjoyed seeing the Rangers use New Powers during this season (suits from Super Sentai pre-dating Zyuranger/MMPR), particularly Lightning/Blitz/Maskman.
Legendary Battle
Beginning where we left off, the city is in rubble and people need help. A group is trapped in an elevator, a little boy can't find his puppy, and a man is stuck under a column. First to arrive on the scene are Dana Mitchell and Carter Grayson, the Pink and Red Lightspeed Rangers. They lift the column off the man and Dana listens to his heart on a stethoscope, assuring him he's going to be fine.
Danny's puppy is saved by Leo Corbett, the Red Galaxy Ranger. T.J. Johnson and Cassie Chan, the Blue and Pink Space Rangers, show up on top of the elevator and pull everyone out. Last but not least, a little boy is trapped in a car that could fall over a bridge at any moment. Dr. Tommy Oliver, the White Mighty Morphin Ranger, and pulls out Saba for the kid to grab onto. He does so, and Tommy pulls the boy out, tells him he was brave and that he could be a superhero one day. With each of these appearances, their helmets are superimposed over their faces, which looks cool. These are some of the strongest scenes in the episode. It's great to see these characters again, and that even without their Ranger Powers, they're still going out of their way to help people.
One by one, the Rangers regain consciousness and try to regroup. Emma and Gia find each other first, followed by Jake and Noah. Later that night, civilians are gathered around a fire, wondering where the Power Rangers are and if they really are destroyed. We're given cameos from Damon Henderson and Karone, the Green and Pink Galaxy Rangers, as well as Wes Collins, the red Time Force Ranger. Troy talks to Gosei on his morpher before the whole team comes together again. Without their Zords, Jake's not sure if they can win. Troy, however, is determined not to give up. The Legendary Rangers entrusted them with their powers and the world is counting on them. Orion's ship crashes back into Earth and he rejoins the others.
Morning arrives, and so does the Armada. The citizens refuse to surrender and are ready to defend themselves. Before they can attack, the Power Rangers arrive, and a fight ensues. They take out the X-Borgs before focusing on the general and royal guards. As the general blasts the Rangers, Orion shields them by turning into Mighty Morphin Green. He gives Troy his Dragon Shield, which turns him into Mighty Morphin Red. Troy then dispatches the guards with ease. The two then make a break for Orion's ship to take the fight to the Armada, leaving the other four to handle the general. Civilians cheer them on as they go.
Troy and Orion blast their way through the fleet before crashing into the flagship. They make their way to the throne room and confront Mavro. The Emperor puts up an impressive fight, not even bothering to stand up at first, but the Rangers turn the tide when Troy takes control of the ship and begins blasting the Armada ships.
This is enough to distract the general down below, allowing the other Rangers to blast him with the Super Mega Cannon as they demorph.
The fight with Mavro continues as Troy and Orion blow the control panel, sending the ship crashing to Earth. The others look on and at first it seems as though they went down with the ship. Fortunately, the turned into Space Red and Silver and escaped on their Galaxy Gliders. They power down, group hug the team, and it looks like it's over...until Mavro reveals to have survived the crash as well. The Rangers stand ready to give it all they've got against him and morph directly into Super Mega Mode, their helmets coming on during the roll call.
This fight is awesome, the Rangers using a variety of Legendary Modes against Mavro, five of which hadn't been used yet in the series, culminating in each Ranger using a different Super Mode from a different season. They use their finishing attacks, and yet Mavro stays on his feet. Orion then jumps in wielding the Super Mega Cannon, and fires at point blank range. As Mavro goes down once and for all, he claims that even after all this, his army will still defeat the Rangers.
Then a legion of X-Borgs arrives. The Rangers seem outnumbered, then suddenly past Ranger teams begin appearing on the cliffside, and them join them on the ground. Leading the way is Tommy (in Green instead of White) and the others we saw at the beginning plus Emily and Mike, the Yellow and Green Samurai Rangers. They take off their helmets to greet the Megaforce Rangers. It's just like the dreams Troy was having earlier in the season. Tommy says they're here to fight for them, Wes says they're proud of them, Troy and Cassie both say it's an honor to fight alongside each other. (Damon, Emily, and Mike don't say anything.) The Megaforce Rangers morph, and the others put their helmets back on. Karone mentions how she loves being a Power Ranger and Astronema's visage is superimposed over her face as she puts her helmet on. The Legendary Rangers then charge forward against the X-Borgs. It's awesome while it lasts, but it's still shorter than we were hoping for. A lot of these scenes were shown in a shorter capacity as Troy's recurring dream. Robo Knight shows up and joins the others in battle, and as short as it was, I was honestly glad to see him again, after his heroic sacrifice a few episodes ago.
When the battle is over, Tommy goes to the Rangers and says it's time for them to go and an honor to fight beside them. He shakes Troy's hand, and join the rest of the Legendary Rangers. They raise their hands and disappear into golden light, scattering across the universe (or they could just be teleporting back home, I don't know). Exhausted, our heroes collapse into the grass and stare into the sky, relieved that the Armada is defeated. They get back up, and Gia gives Jake a kiss on the cheek (aww). Troy then plants his Super Mega Saber into the ground, and the six of them walk away.
The Extended Edition is a much more satisfying finale than the episodes were initially. The added battle between the Rangers and Mavro saved the episode. Nonetheless, I can't help but lament over all the Ranger Keys that didn't get used over the course of the season. Perhaps had they been allowed a few more episodes (maybe five for each half), they could have worked those in, maybe improve the pacing. I've enjoyed the cast of characters, and it's actually gratifying to have seen their acting get better as the season progressed. Nickelodeon needs to treat this franchise better. Episode count aside, I wish they'd stop splitting these seasons in half, and shorten any summer hiatus.Had they been allowed more time and money, Power Rangers Megaforce could have been an excellent season. Instead, it's only a decent season with a few great moments. As stated, this finale sums up the season perfectly: showing it's potential but still falling short of it.
The Wrath
Believing the Armada defeated, Orion decides it's time to head back to Andresia and rebuild his homeworld. He has a heartfelt goodbye with the other Rangers before taking off in the spaceship he arrived in. Shortly after he leaves, Tensou and Gosei pick up a transmission from Emperor Mavro, saying the real invasion is about to begin.
Mavro gives Levira one final chance to prove her worth, sending her down in a mech in her likeness to battle the Legendary Megazord. She puts up a fight but is ultimately brought down using a lightning aura strike. The battle resumes on the ground. She blasts the Rangers with her own artillery, but they put up a shield using Mystic Force's powers. Levira is joined by some of the Armada's royal guards. The Rangers each use one of their Legendary New Powers (except for Troy, who uses Mighty Morphin) to fight them off, and ultimately win. As she blows up, Levira begs Mavro to use the maximizer to make her grow, and he refuses. He then announces his invasion and the Armada ships swarm the sky.
The Rangers morph again and return to the Megazord. Orion's Q-Rex joins them, presumably on autopilot. Using a barrage of attacks with different Ranger Keys, Zords, and attacks, they manage to take out the first wave. Unfortunately, as soon as their finished, a new swarm of ships shows up and obliterates every single one of them. The Rangers are ejected from their Megazord, de-morphing as they hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Orion picks up the signal that Tensou picked up earlier. Realizing his mistake, he doubles back to Earth. Mavro informs the world that the Power Rangers have been destroyed and issues an ultimatum: Surrender or perish. He gives the planet 12 hours to give up and will return at dawn to finish the job. We get one last shot of each of the Rangers lying unconscious in rubble.
The extensions given to this episode aren't quite so obvious, but it added about 5 minutes (2 and a half without commercials) to the episode's runtime. The fight scenes are a bit longer and the pacing is improved, but nothing that stood out. I'm probably in the minority of fans who enjoyed seeing the Rangers use New Powers during this season (suits from Super Sentai pre-dating Zyuranger/MMPR), particularly Lightning/Blitz/Maskman.
Legendary Battle
Beginning where we left off, the city is in rubble and people need help. A group is trapped in an elevator, a little boy can't find his puppy, and a man is stuck under a column. First to arrive on the scene are Dana Mitchell and Carter Grayson, the Pink and Red Lightspeed Rangers. They lift the column off the man and Dana listens to his heart on a stethoscope, assuring him he's going to be fine.
Danny's puppy is saved by Leo Corbett, the Red Galaxy Ranger. T.J. Johnson and Cassie Chan, the Blue and Pink Space Rangers, show up on top of the elevator and pull everyone out. Last but not least, a little boy is trapped in a car that could fall over a bridge at any moment. Dr. Tommy Oliver, the White Mighty Morphin Ranger, and pulls out Saba for the kid to grab onto. He does so, and Tommy pulls the boy out, tells him he was brave and that he could be a superhero one day. With each of these appearances, their helmets are superimposed over their faces, which looks cool. These are some of the strongest scenes in the episode. It's great to see these characters again, and that even without their Ranger Powers, they're still going out of their way to help people.
One by one, the Rangers regain consciousness and try to regroup. Emma and Gia find each other first, followed by Jake and Noah. Later that night, civilians are gathered around a fire, wondering where the Power Rangers are and if they really are destroyed. We're given cameos from Damon Henderson and Karone, the Green and Pink Galaxy Rangers, as well as Wes Collins, the red Time Force Ranger. Troy talks to Gosei on his morpher before the whole team comes together again. Without their Zords, Jake's not sure if they can win. Troy, however, is determined not to give up. The Legendary Rangers entrusted them with their powers and the world is counting on them. Orion's ship crashes back into Earth and he rejoins the others.
Morning arrives, and so does the Armada. The citizens refuse to surrender and are ready to defend themselves. Before they can attack, the Power Rangers arrive, and a fight ensues. They take out the X-Borgs before focusing on the general and royal guards. As the general blasts the Rangers, Orion shields them by turning into Mighty Morphin Green. He gives Troy his Dragon Shield, which turns him into Mighty Morphin Red. Troy then dispatches the guards with ease. The two then make a break for Orion's ship to take the fight to the Armada, leaving the other four to handle the general. Civilians cheer them on as they go.
Troy and Orion blast their way through the fleet before crashing into the flagship. They make their way to the throne room and confront Mavro. The Emperor puts up an impressive fight, not even bothering to stand up at first, but the Rangers turn the tide when Troy takes control of the ship and begins blasting the Armada ships.
This is enough to distract the general down below, allowing the other Rangers to blast him with the Super Mega Cannon as they demorph.
The fight with Mavro continues as Troy and Orion blow the control panel, sending the ship crashing to Earth. The others look on and at first it seems as though they went down with the ship. Fortunately, the turned into Space Red and Silver and escaped on their Galaxy Gliders. They power down, group hug the team, and it looks like it's over...until Mavro reveals to have survived the crash as well. The Rangers stand ready to give it all they've got against him and morph directly into Super Mega Mode, their helmets coming on during the roll call.
This fight is awesome, the Rangers using a variety of Legendary Modes against Mavro, five of which hadn't been used yet in the series, culminating in each Ranger using a different Super Mode from a different season. They use their finishing attacks, and yet Mavro stays on his feet. Orion then jumps in wielding the Super Mega Cannon, and fires at point blank range. As Mavro goes down once and for all, he claims that even after all this, his army will still defeat the Rangers.
Then a legion of X-Borgs arrives. The Rangers seem outnumbered, then suddenly past Ranger teams begin appearing on the cliffside, and them join them on the ground. Leading the way is Tommy (in Green instead of White) and the others we saw at the beginning plus Emily and Mike, the Yellow and Green Samurai Rangers. They take off their helmets to greet the Megaforce Rangers. It's just like the dreams Troy was having earlier in the season. Tommy says they're here to fight for them, Wes says they're proud of them, Troy and Cassie both say it's an honor to fight alongside each other. (Damon, Emily, and Mike don't say anything.) The Megaforce Rangers morph, and the others put their helmets back on. Karone mentions how she loves being a Power Ranger and Astronema's visage is superimposed over her face as she puts her helmet on. The Legendary Rangers then charge forward against the X-Borgs. It's awesome while it lasts, but it's still shorter than we were hoping for. A lot of these scenes were shown in a shorter capacity as Troy's recurring dream. Robo Knight shows up and joins the others in battle, and as short as it was, I was honestly glad to see him again, after his heroic sacrifice a few episodes ago.
When the battle is over, Tommy goes to the Rangers and says it's time for them to go and an honor to fight beside them. He shakes Troy's hand, and join the rest of the Legendary Rangers. They raise their hands and disappear into golden light, scattering across the universe (or they could just be teleporting back home, I don't know). Exhausted, our heroes collapse into the grass and stare into the sky, relieved that the Armada is defeated. They get back up, and Gia gives Jake a kiss on the cheek (aww). Troy then plants his Super Mega Saber into the ground, and the six of them walk away.
The Extended Edition is a much more satisfying finale than the episodes were initially. The added battle between the Rangers and Mavro saved the episode. Nonetheless, I can't help but lament over all the Ranger Keys that didn't get used over the course of the season. Perhaps had they been allowed a few more episodes (maybe five for each half), they could have worked those in, maybe improve the pacing. I've enjoyed the cast of characters, and it's actually gratifying to have seen their acting get better as the season progressed. Nickelodeon needs to treat this franchise better. Episode count aside, I wish they'd stop splitting these seasons in half, and shorten any summer hiatus.Had they been allowed more time and money, Power Rangers Megaforce could have been an excellent season. Instead, it's only a decent season with a few great moments. As stated, this finale sums up the season perfectly: showing it's potential but still falling short of it.
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