For some reason, Orion is dancing around the high school in his boxers while popping into a classroom to solve a long math equation.

Meanwhile up in the ship, Vekar introduces Skeltox to everyone. He sucks human energy.

Anyway, it turns out Orion lives at the high school, unbeknownst to anyone, even the other Rangers. Orion decides to cut class and the girls think that is hilarious. Jake is jealous.

Orion heads to Ernie’s to get an early start at work, but ends up leaving before they even open when the girls come to get him.

They bring him to Gosei’s lair where they present him with a belt that Tensou’s been working very hard on and will give Orion access to all the sixth Ranger keys.

Gosei warns the Rangers to “Expect the unexpected” [/JulieChenBB] and gives them a “May the power protect you.”

Jake turns to Orion who is thanking Gosei and turns green with envy (Oho!) when he sees Gia’s ear-to-ear smile while looking at Mr. Silvers.

Downtown, Skeltox is fishing for people’s energy. Once he sucks energy from a human, they get lazy and fall asleep. The alarm sounds at the lair. Troy takes the lead and splits them up into three pairs. Jake is not too happy to be designated Orion’s mentor for the day.

It is Jake and Orion who find Skeltox and the X-Borgs first. Jake morphs into regular Megaforce then goes SUPER MEGA! when Orion can join in.

But Jake is suddenly Mr. Clumsy and falls all over himself so much, he falls right off the side of the building and needs Orion to save him. This only annoys Jake even more.

The others suddenly arrive and they decide to morph into RPM.

Orion wants to join in the fun, but he is bored surprised to find there are two RPM sixth Ranger keys! He takes his time to decide which one to choose. He asks Gosei for help.

But instead he gets sucked into a white room where he sees RPM Series Gold and Series Silver. Gosei says Orion doesn’t have to choose and orders the Gold and Silver Rangers to fuse, resulting in a gold/silver Ranger Key.

Orion uses the new key to become RPM Gold and Silver. The other Rangers, except Jake, are impressed by his new power and great skills. Emma gleefully applauds. Jake is fuming and becomes so distracted, it gives Skeltox an open shot.

He takes it, but Emma sees it before Jake can snap out of it. She jumps in front of him and absorbs Skeltox’s attack.

Skeltox decides to fish Troy, Noah, Emma and Gia’s energy out of them. Jake and Orion take the Rangers back to Gosei’s lair where they put them to bed on cots. Jake beats himself up for having frozen up.

Jake says they got hurt trying to protect him, but Orion says it was only an accident. Jake doesn’t accept that and leaves, but Orion follows.

I know how you feel, Orion says. “If there’s someone who feels guilty for surviving, it’s me. And if there’s such a thing as destiny, then that’s what brought us together. And it made us a team.”

“I am your team. Plus, you’re my mentor, remember?”
“We are a team,” Jakes replies.

Tensou alerts them and Jake and Orion go to face Skeltox. Jake suggests Orion fuse ALL the sixth Ranger keys together.

But Orion doesn’t know how. Back at the lair, Tensou is amazed. Random keys start glowing!

“Something extraordinary is happening!”

Gosei says he knows. “Orion, the time has come to combine all of your keys.”

“Power of Six, ACTIVATE!”

All the sixth Ranger keys pop out of his belt, but he pauses to figure out what to do next.

Jake decides to stall and morphs into Flash Green.

All the Sixth Rangers (hello Robo Knight!) look to the sky and the keys become one. Orion inserts the new key into his morpher and morphs into Super Megaforce Gold.

Orion delivers a Sixth Ranger finisher to take care of Skeltox’s first life. All the sleepy people wake up, including the Rangers.

Levira embiggens Skeltox and the Rangers hop into Super Mega Jet, Super Mega Wheeler, Super Mega Sub and Super Mega Racer to combine with the Sky Ship and form the Legendary Megazord.

Orion summons the Q-Rex and they work together to finish Skeltox off for good.

The Rangers are walking down by the water. Orion has to dash.

Gia thanks Jake for what he did for them today and she takes his arm. The others giggle.

Orion gets to Ernie’s and tells him it’s time to go home.

Episode Thoughts

Damn. How in the world can you go from watching Ressha Sentai ToQger and Kamen Rider Gaim to watching the return of Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce

Wow. What an incredible difference in, well… everything.

But hopefully I can forget about the much superior and more enjoyable shows from across the Pacific and judge Megaforce‘s return after its 6 year hiatus on its own.

Okay, here we go.

OUCH! I definitely did not remember, nor expect just how horrible Saban Brands Power Rangers writing really was. Jason Smith is awesome, so I’ll blame everyone equally in how horrible this episode was. The dialogue was horrendous, most especially during Orion’s scene struggling with RPM Gold and Silver. What in the world was that? You wanna talk “pre-schoolish” Saban Brands? That was one of the most condescending pieces of dialogue yet during this era. Why must they insist on treating their young audience like complete idiots? I don’t understand. Even after three and a half years, I do not understand why.

Anyway, aside from Orion’s creepy opening Risky Business sequence, we got more of Gosei being a jerk and powers coming out of his ass.

The best part of the episode was probably the tribute to Power Rangers Flash. Love that season. Definitely much more than Megaforce.

Just so many holes in the episode and horrible dialogue. But what else is new?

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?
Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episode (s): Episode 19 – Armor of 15 Warriors

The Gokaiger episode as goofy, but it fit both Gai and Don-san’s established personalities. We got Gai being a Sentai fanboy and Don being clumsy and insecure. And the footage definitely fit that.

Megaforce turned it into a Jake is jealous of Orion story, which was fine enough, but everything else about the translation was absolutely lost.

No explanation of why Robo Knight appears when he’s supposed to be lost.

And seeing all the unusable footage explains why we got so many pointless scenes in the Megaforce episode, but it doesn’t explain why those pointless scenes couldn’t at least have been fun or enjoyable.

But maybe the single thing that easily makes the Gokaiger episode the superior on is this scene:

One of the best morphs evah.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (10) 30 – The Perfect Storm

A huge electrical storm is brewing and it will help power up Vrak’s power crystal which Vekar and Co. can use to power Vrak’s Powermid. Damaras says he’s got Sirjinkor taking care of the preparations.

Meanwhile, Tensou says he’s going outside to check on the communication module. Gosei tells him to be careful of the brewing electrical storm as he might attract a lightning strike.

Which he does. After getting hit, Tensou appears to have lost his memory.

Over at the mall, the Rangers are meeting up for some froyo, but Ernie’s finds the machine is broken. Suddenly, Gosei alerts the Rangers to Tensou going missing. They decide to search the city for him as Ernie calls a froyo repairman.

Tensou rolls through the city as the lightning storm has disappeared. No one seems to notice him as he tries to ask a fire hydrant, his reflection and a dog for help.

Emma is the first to spot Tensou and calls the others. While she sets her bike off, Tensou spots a suitcase that looks exactly like him, so he approaches it. But when the bus arrives, the suitcase’s owner grabs Tensou instead.

Emma calls the others and Jake says he’s nearby, so he wlll try and catch the bus. Jake goes running while Emma grabs the real suitcase and chases after the bus on her bike.

Tensou thinks he’s been captured.

Jake has caught up to the bus, but it doesn’t stop. He runs through the plaza to try and cut it off at the next stop and he is able to hop aboard.

He sees Tensou and takes a seat a few rows in front. Subtly dropping his keys, Jake tries to get Tensou’s attention, but Tensou doesn’t know what a Tensou even is.

“TENSOU!”
“Bless you!”

A nice lady blesses Jake whom she thinks has just sneezed. She starts talking to him about horrible allergies and how the storm this morning is probably why Jake is sneezing.

The bus comes to a stop and Jake doesn’t realize the man with Tensou has just disembarked. The bus starts going, but Jake asks to stop and he gets off only to have lost the man.

Jake tells the others the man might have gone through Hodges Park and Troy says he’s nearby, so he’ll look. Emma catches up to Jake who tells her about Tensou’s memory loss.

They meet up with Troy who hasn’t seen the guy. An impatient Noah calls to ask if they’ve found Tensou yet.

Jake takes the suitcase and tries to see if there’s a tag with the guy’s info or something. Nothing on the outside, but maybe on the inside? Emma says that’s absolutely wrong since it doesn’t even belong to them.

Gia calls and says the man and Tensou are at the mall.

Troy, Jake and Emma hurry over to the mall. They’re on the 2nd floor while Gia’s down on the first. She tells them to toss her the suitcase.

Gia catches it and starts to carefully follow the man.

“Go, Gia!!!”
“I am going!”
“Gooo!”

A little boy dives his toy car into the man’s feet and he stops. Gia tries to get at Tensou, but the man doesn’t let go before he starts walking again.

Noah and Orion call to inform them of a monster and a bunch of X Borgs, but Troy asks them to handle it. Noah and Orion morph directly into Super Mega Mode and fight them off.

Gia follows the man into an elevator. The Rangers go down one more level to meet them while Gia tries grabbing Tensou as the man is on his phone. The man puts his hand on Tensou again as they arrive at the underground level (since Gia was on the first floor, right?).

But out to meet him is Jake who asks the man for the time. He tells Jake, but also tells him he has a watch on.

Gia goes for Tensou.

The man leaves and the Rangers reunite with him. Tensou still doesn’t know who they are. They need to keep him undercover, so the Rangers buy a stroller for Tensou to ride in.

Tensou is unsure about these strange people, but he’ll go with them for now. Especially after he sees a little boy also in a stroller. Maybe these people aren’t so bad.

“Alright, push on my friends! Whoever you are.”

The Rangers are in the parking garage when Noah calls to tell them about the monster, his precious stone and going to Mt. Edinova. Troy decides they will meet them at the mountain.

Sirjinkor finds the Powermid that Vrak never finished. Vekar tells him to insert the power prism now to activate the Powermid.

Noah and Orion run into X Borgs and the other Rangers arrive just in time to help.

Troy sets Tensou in his backpack down before they morph.

Tensou decides to run away.

“Watch where you’re falling!”

Tensou avoids falling X Borgs only to roll right into a tree. He falls on his back and shuts down.

The Rangers have taken care of the X Borgs and demorph. They run over to Tensou who has just rebooted.

Tensou is now back to normal! Gosei calls and welcomes Tensou back. But also to tell the Rangers about the monster trying to absorb the power of the electrical storm. Noah zips Tensou up into the backpack and the Rangers run up to the top of the mountain.

The Rangers morph again as they run.

They meet Sirjinkor and Noah sets Tensou down again as they go SUPERMEGA!

Sirjinkor blasts them off their feet, so they decide to go Legendary. The Rangers decide to morph into Power Rangers Squadron, while Orion randomly chooses Mighty Morphin White Ranger Saba.

Orion then suggests Zeo to deliver a Dynamite Attack. Sirjinkor appears to explode, but he’s not done yet. He rolls up a ball of energy and sends up into outer space to trigger an asteroid.

Vekar is excited a plan of theirs is actually working. He tosses Damaras and Levira aside and uses Levira’s beam to embiggen Sirjinkor.

The Rangers hop onto the Sky Ship to form Legendary Megazord. They GOLEGENDARY and form the Legendary Samurai Megazord. Orion hops into the Q-Rex. The Rangers use the Fire Smasher to finish off Sirjinkor for good. But the asteroid has entered Earth’s atmosphere.

Gosei says the asteroid will hit Japan the Earth in 57 seconds. “You must stop it!”

The Rangers try to shoot at with the Super Mega Cannon, but it doesn’t work. Orion’s got an idea though, but he needs a boost from the Rangers.

Noah leads the Megazord to grab the Q-Rex and hurl it and Orion toward the asteroid. At the right time, Orion initiates the Triple Drill Attack to smash the asteroid to smithereens.

“That’s a MEGA win!”

Gosei thanks the Rangers for another job well done and for returning Tensou safe and sound. They also get him a mirror for a new toy.

The Rangers head to Ernie’s just as the froyo machine has been fixed. He gives them some treats to celebrate.

But the Rangers are shocked when the suited man with the suitcase turns out to be the froyo repair man.

“By the way, I’d keep an eye on those kids, if I were you. They seem kind of… suspicious.”

Episode Thoughts

OMG. That was an amazing episode! Best Megaforce episode evah.

Seriously! Most of this episodes was actually very enjoyable and fun. It was absolutely pointless with relation to the big picture of the season, but it really was a nice, fun little episode.

It is definitely not often (or ever) you can say that about a Saban Brands Era episode, yeah?

I absolutely loved the scenes of the Rangers and Tensou wandering around the city. It was likely the most effort the show has put into writing an episode all season, but it was actually great fun. And the scenes of the city, even inside the mall, were awesome. We really haven’t seen much of the city in Megaforce, so it was great for them to show it off here. And it made the episode just look fresh and new.

That’s in addition to the storm scenes at the start of the episode and all the very good Tensou CGI.

I suppose they blew half the season’s budget on this episode, honestly. 2/3 of the episode was original NZ footage (it was Disney Era-level of original footage), plus they had to insert CGI Tensou rolling around the city? That’s was amazing. And it definitely added a lot to the episode.

But of course, why keep a good thing going, right? This is still Megaforce and still a Saban Brands season. Things definitely started going downhill as soon as they morphed into Power Rangers Squadron. Forget the fact that the White MMPR Ranger looks exactly like the Squadron Rangers. But that last fight on ground, the zord battle and the asteroid were just not exciting.

The Rangers running around the city was more exciting, honestly.
It even made me think that Megaforce would’ve at least been more interesting if it was about a bunch of high school super sleuths who go around town solving petty crimes that end up being committed by monsters. Really! Them slinking around, tailing the froyo guy was the best we’ve seen the Rangers all season.

And maybe a nitpicky thing, but at the end when the Rangers see the suited man was the froyo repair guy, Orion and Noah definitely should not have had a reaction since they didn’t even see the guy, nor know what the others had gone through to get Tensou back. Only the four should’ve been surprised by the guy, but Orion seemed more shocked than Troy even. That scene would’ve worked otherwise, but instead just capped off the horrible Megaforce-y last third of the episode.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episode (s): Episode 22 – A Promise on a Shooting Star

It was VERY different. The episodes had completely different plots. (Yay!)

The Gokaiger episode was all about Gai making a Sentai encyclopedia for the others to get them acclimated with the different teams and about Gai trying to get Joe to like Earth more.

The episode also teased the special relationship Marvelous and Joe had. (No, not like that.)

There wasn’t a lot of useable footage, so Megaforce was definitely forced to film brand new NZ scenes. Which is interesting, because this was a filler episode that they could’ve absolutely avoided if they wanted to. But they didnt and it looks like they didn’t spare any expense. Which is both good and bad. Good because it actually produced a pretty good episode. Bad because the resources they used on this filler episode could’ve been used elsewhere.

But whatever. I’m gonna take what I can get and this episode was the first Megaforce episode I actually, truly and fully enjoyed.

Tensou Episode Quotes

“What’s a tensou?”

“Looks like we’re in the same boat.”

“Be careful! I’ve got fragile parts!”

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (11) 31 – “Love is in the Air”

Jake finds Noah in the computer lab at school and while he waits for him to finish his paper, Jake decides to try and kick his soccer ball out the window and hit the goal post on the field below.

No way, Noah says. Jake tries it and he hits it. As well as Mr. Burley on the head.

That gives Noah an idea. They set up a line of trash bins on the field. Jake will try and kick a soccer ball into each of the bins and closing each lid while Noah videotapes him.

Meanwhile up in the Armada command ship, Vekar is annoyed the Rangers haven’t been defeated yet. He orders Levira to come up with a foolproof plan. Later, while Levira observes Jake and Noah’s odd, mysterious behavior, Vekar calls his new butler, Invidious, for some tea.

Invidious turns to go get the tea, but in walks Levira. He can’t believe it. It is, it is the same Levira he was crushin’ on when they were kids. He is so excited. He missed his chance when they were young. So he decides to come up with a love potion to have her fall in love with the first person she sees… him!

Invidious gives Levira the cup of tea and she takes a sip while continuing to watch Jake’s strange behavior. So instead of falling in love with the Invidious, Levira falls madly in love with the cute Jake. She orders Invidious to capture that “man” for her.

Jake and Noah clean up the field after they’re done as Invidious arrives with some X Borgs. Invidious orders the X Borgs to capture Jake. Noah hurries over to help, but the X Borgs ignore him and concentrate on grabbing Jake instead.

Levira swoons as she watches Jake take on the X Borgs by himself.

Noah calls the others and they all morph into regular Mega before going SUPERMEGA.

“This is none of your business!” Invidious yells to the Rangers who decide to go Mighty Morphin to take out the X Borgs.

“I’m a lover, not a fighter. But if you push me, I have to fight back for her!”

Troy delivers two painful slashes of his sword and forces Invidious to retreat. But those hits are nothing compared to the pain in seeing Levira dancing around the room, swooning over hunky Jakey.

“She used me! I’m heartbroken! There’s only one thing to do now.”

And that one thing is head to Japan and sulk in a pile of trash. A nice Japanese lady asks what in the world Invidious is doing there and he says he was dumped.

“Well, so what? Do something about it!”

She hands him her garbage. Invidious hates life.

The Rangers demoprh and they wonder why they only want Jake. Troy thinks maybe they are going to get picked off one by one.

Emma says that guy just tries to come for her, he won’t stand a chance. Jake says that guy won’t stand a chance against any of them as long as they stick together. Gia remembers what Invidious said earlier about being a lover and fighting for “her.”

“Why do they want Jake?”
Emma says it’s “because he’s… cute.”

Invidious suddenly pops in and bursts into flames as he rams through the Rangers and knocks Jake across the plaza. Twice.

Levira can’t believe it. “You fool!”

“Now to pay you back!” Invidious says. He hurls another fireball toward Jake, but Levira pops in and blocks it. She tells Invidious to stop it. “You’re both incompetent and idiotic.”

He tells her to get out of the way, but Levira stands firm, protecting her Jakey.

“Why must you be so cruel?! I’ve always had a crush on you. But you just used me to get to him. Now my love has turned to hate. So I’ll turn up the heat on both of you.”

Invidious sends more fireballs at them, but Levira has now taken Jake into her arms and she swings him around to avoid the attacks.

The Rangers watch, dumbfounded. They figure out the She-Monster loves Jake and the He-Monster loves her.

“An alien-human love triangle? Gross!”

Prince Vekar watches the strange happenings on the ground. Levira and Invidious have both gone mad!

“Perhaps it could be… a spell!”

Invidious continues attacking as Levira assures her darling Jake that she will protect him. Jake runs away.

But Levira catches up to her Jakey-poo and takes him back into her arms. She calls over to the Rangers, who are still grossed out.

“RANGERS! My love needs help! Do something!!!”

The others morph into nonSuper Mega, but Invidious easily sends them flying. Jake breaks free of Levira’s lovegrip and morphs as well.

“Oh, be careful, my love!”

Damaras says the Prince is disgusted and they should put a stop to this. But Invidious seems to be close to defeating the Rangers, Argus says. Maybe they should let this play out, especially since they can’t act without authorization by the Prince. Damaras tells Argus to go get him.

Jake tells Levira that he likes someone else.

“We all know who that is.”

Levira vows to never let anyone come between her and her love.

“We will!” Gia says as they all decide to go SUPERMEGA!

Invidious is still too fast for them, so they decide to morph into Turbo. Levira is happy her Jakey-wakey is safe.

Argus returns with Prince Vekar who has to watch this unbelievable display on the ground all over again. He decides to take care of this himself, so he takes Levira’s laser and embiggens Invidious.

Jake has an idea. He approaches Levira and calls up to Invidious to tell him to stop all this jealousy act and just ask her out on a date. Invidious is not sure, but Jake says it’s easy.

“Well, do you want to impress her or not?”
“I know I’m getting impressed.”

Invidious gets on his knees and finally asks Levira to go out with him. She seems impressed herself and thinks Why not? A love connection is made, even though everyone, from the Rangers up to Vekar are all grossed out.

Invidious asks Levira what he can do to make her happy. To destroy the Rangers of course!

Invidious starts stomping and the Rangers hop into the Sky Ship.

The Rangers shoot at Invidious who is determined to impress Levira. But the Rangers deliver a Super Mega Sledge and knock him down. They finish with a Samurai Fire Smasher Final Strike.

But Invidious still stands and the Rangers decide to send him back up into space, straight up to the ship.

“Levira, I’m ready for our date!”
“Ugh, I have no time for losers. Go away.”

Invidious cries.

“And there’s no way I’d ever fall for a Power Rangers. DISGUSTING!”

Vekar’s head is spinning.

Back down on Earth, the Rangers head to Ernie’s.

“You know Jake,” Emma says, “you made it look so easy to ask someone you like out on a date. Maybe you should follow your own advice.”

Emma nods and Troy gives him the beady eyes. Jake turns to Gia.

“Would you maybe want to…”

And in storms the Boom Twins Noah who interrupts with news that a video he posted of Jake doing a crazy soccer stunt has gone viral with 6 million hits.

Episode Thoughts

OMG! This was an amazing episode. Seriously. It was fun, enjoyable, hilarious.

Like, what is going on? When two filler episodes are better and maybe the best episodes of all of Megaforce so far. What does that mean?!

Last week’s episode and now this week’s episode… wow. They do nothing for the plot, but they were just so good. I genuinely and sincerely loved these two episodes.

Even despite leaving in the Gokaiger footage and the obvious padding with the roll calls and individual turning of keys and all the various morphs, it was still amazing fun.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episode (s): Episode 14 – Now More Road Safety and Episode 24 – Foolish Earthlings

What is even more amazing is that Megaforce actually filmed A LOT of new, original footage. The morphs into the Goseiger suits and all the Jake/Levira/Invidious scenes were fresh of course, but they also filmed brand new scenes up in the Armada ship. That first scene of Vekar summoning Invidious, then Levira entering and taking a seat and all the tea/love potion scenes.

That is hilariously amazing! They’ve filmed more original footage in these two filler episodes than maybe all the other episodes this year! Wow.

That they left in the scene of Jealoushitto in the trash with the Japanese lady is awesomely funny. Even more when it was the only scene they took from Episode 24 of Gokaiger to replace all the road safety and Carranger goofiness from Episode 24.

Jealoushitto is really one of the best things about Gokaiger. He was awesome and it was always great to see him pop up after his first episode. It was definitely nice to see Megaforce keep the fact that he survived the zord battle.

Seeing the original episode again, it’s actually very creative to have had this filler episode still connect with the season-long Jake-stalking-Gia storyline. It fit very well, even though again, it really was a filler episode.

But at least it was fun and enjoyable and hilarious. I would love to see the remaining episodes be just as hilariously fun. (Though I wouldn’t hold my breath.)

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
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Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (12) 32 – United As One

Snot drips out of Prince Vekar’s nose. Levira says he’s caught an Earth germ, but finds that it can be cured by getting human happiness injections. Good news, they’ve got the commander who can absorb human happiness, Desolar.

The Rangers come across a wedding, which is the perfect place for Desolar to suck up some happiness. After the happy bride is now unhappy, the Rangers morph and face off against Desolar who appears to be too much for them.

They decide to go SUPERMEGA! But Desolar suddenly decides to embiggen himself on his own. The Rangers summon the Sky Ship and the Q-Rex and then the Legendary Mystic Force Megazord.

But Desolar shrinks and sneaks into the Q-Rex to knock Orion out. He takes over the Megazord and uses it against the others. Once Orion wakes up, Desolar escapes and sneaks into the other Megazord. The Rangers shoot at him and they follow him out of the Megazord before Desolar eventually runs back inside.

They are in the Megazord’s boiler room. Desolar slips into Jake’s suit and the others try to get the little bug out. Emma sprays some coolant it into Jake’s suit and Desolar decides to just retreat, but not before he messes the Megazord up and blow a hole through it.

Tensou relays the information the Rangers need to fix the Megazord. Noah and Troy will fix the hydraulics while Jake and Gia fix the hole.

But how about the monster? Emma has an idea:

“You wanna get married?”
“Huuuuh?”

Desolar finds another wedding to suck happiness from. But it’s Orion and Emma’s wedding. Orion is nervous and asks what he needs to do.

“Just make sure Emma is happy.”
“How do I do that?”
“Just give her a kiss!”

Emma walks down the aisle as Desolar watches. She tells Orion to pick her up and kiss her. Emma puckers up, but Orion has no idea what is happening.

When Desolar barges in, Emma has Orion spin her around to grab her blaster to shoot at Desolar’s belt. Now he’s stuck this size. Orion and Emma rip their wedding clothes off and try to catch up to Desolar. Emma’s got more ideas.

Desolar finds a happy cheerleader… but it’s actually Emma. Orion takes pictures. She asks Desolar to hold her pompoms and she tries to grab his staff. She kicks him and she and Orion pretend to be paramedics.

They tell him to lay on the cot and Emma will take his staff. NO! Desolar hops into the ambulance, but he gets pulled over by police. Officers Orion and Emma.

“Man Emma, this plan is pretty elaborate.”

Desolar stops and gets out. Emma orders him to drop the staff and put his hands on the vehicle. Okay, Desolar wants no troubl…WAIT, “It’s you again!!!!”

He knocks Orion and Emma down again. But they hear all the happy kids at the park. Uh oh. Not good.

Orion is wowed by a kite, but more importantly, Desolar has begun sucking up all the children’s happiness.

Emma and Orion morph and fight Desolar who absolutely knocks them around. Orion is forced to demorph. Desolar is about to use his staff to finish Emma off, but she pops up and does what she can to ultimately grab it from him.

She smashes it and the happinesseses return to their owners.

The others arrive to report that the Megazord is fixed. Cool, Emma says. She asks them to take care of Desolar because she has something else to take care of herself.

Emma runs off and the others morph directly to SUPERMEGA!!!!

Vekar is “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” But Levira is sure Desolar can finish off the Rangers.

Emma returns to the park and uses a Wind Drive card to help a little boy get his kite to fly.

Meanwhile, the others decide to go LEGENDARY DinoThunder mode. Troy feels the Abaranger DInoThunder powers weakening, but they push through until Emma arrives.

Orion goes GOLD MODE and he delivers a Legendary Sixth Ranger mode before the others deliver a Final Strike.

Levira has caught the icky Earth germ, but she can still point her embiggening laser toward Desolar.

Gosei chimes in to tell the Rangers that because they’ve mastered the DinoThunder powers, they have now unlocked the ability for the Q-Rex Megazord to combine with the Legendary Megazord to form the Legendary Q-Rex Megazord.

The Rangers use a SUPERMEGA Drill and Q-Rex Transwarp attack to finish off Desolar for good.

At the park, Orion shows the others the pics he took of Emma.

ZOMG, Emma says. But the others say she should be proud of doing such an amazing job taking the lead today.

Emma has the picnic basket, but she also has a kite for Orion since she noticed him being wowed by it earlier. The guys help Orion with it and Gia tells Emma how amazing she is. Emma always knows how to make everyone happy.

Emma again uses her Wind Drive Card to help Orion’s kite fly.

Episode Thoughts

Okay. This was a good episode.

I’m serious! While I don’t love it as much as “The Perfect Storm” or “Love is in the Air,” I really enjoyed this one too. It was hilarious. In a good way!

I loved Emma’s nonsensical elaborate plan. Definitely made little practical sense, but at least it was fun to see her and Orion in different get-ups. Emma continually making innuendo to Orion, who obviously still knows very little about Earth, was also weirdly entertaining.

Emma taking the lead in the episode goes with her in the last episode saying if the monster had come after her, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Well, Desolar didn’t stand a chance against Emma’s plans.
One of the funniest scenes though was the bouncy castle deflating and Emma’s horrified “NO!!!!!!!!!!!”

And Vekar had some great lines too.
“You think I want this as a souvenir?!”

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episode: Episode 29 – The Abare Quick-Changing New Combination

They did a great job actually working around the Gokaiger footage which featured a completely different story. (Abare Pink!)

Instead of Desolar popping into Gia’s suit, like Luka’s in Gokaiger, they used Jake which allowed them to have that little bit of slapstick. (Which was actually funny.)

Even funnier, I preferred Megaforce‘s treatment of Emma’s elaborate plan than the way Gokaiger did with Ahim’s which was actually pretty sexist. lol Emma’s plan, surprisingly enough, was more realistic and less slapstick. Plus they included Orion in the proceedings. The weird part though is Megaforce keeping in Gai’s taking pictures of Ahim. Just to fill time I guess.

Overall, I enjoyed this Megaforce episode very much. The original NZ footage was great too. Seriously, why couldn’t the previous 28 episodes be like these last three?

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (12) 32 – United As One

Noah is in the school computer lab figuring out a way to double the power of the blasters by inserting two keys. Jake sneaks into the room and asks if Noah can fill in for him as he had promised Emma he’d go to the butterfly sanctuary with her. But Noah can’t. He has to bring his data back to Tensou.

Too late for Jake though. Emma comes in and Jake has no choice but to accompany her. On the way, Emma happily takes pictures of a struggling Jake trying to carry all her gear.

But they suddenly hear people screaming. They morph and hurry over to find Tranceferer kidnapping the Ambassador. They go SUPERMEGA as the other Rangers arrive. While Tranceferer planned on swapping bodies with the Ambassdor to enable them to infiltrate the government, he settles on switching Noah and Jake’s bodies instead.

The next day at school, Noah and Jake are dressed as each other. And during class, they forget whose body they are in. Mr. Burley is surprised by NoahinJake knowing all the answers during the lesson, like how many planets there are in the solar system.

After class, Mr. Burley asks to talk to JakeinNoah to ask why he didn’t raise his hand in class today, while Jake knew all the answers. JakeinNoah decides to put in a good word for himself. Err, for Jake. The real one. Him.

Outside, Gia and NoahinJake listen at the door. Gia says she thought there were nine planets, not eight like Noah answered earlier. Noah explains and Gia thinks that’s hot. She touches NoahinJake’s collar, much to NoahinJake’s bewilderment. But Gia realizes this is not the Jake she is in love with. (lol)

“Calling you an imbecile is an insult to imbeciles.”

Vekar is not happy with Tranceferer not being able to grab the Ambassador. But Tranceferer gets a chance to redeem himself.

Meanwhile in Gosei’s lair, Noah is finishing up the modifications to the blaster. They head out to test it while Gosei tells Tensou to keep looking for a currently lost and unresponsive Orion.

The two-keyed blaster is a success! But they have to wait for it to recharge to use it again. Suddenly, a new commander appears, sent by Argus since Tranceferer is taking his sweet time to do anything.

The Rangers take on the X Borgs and Turtlelini (!) who Argus says is indestructible. The Rangers try a Super Mega Final Strike, but they fail thanks to Turtlelini’s indestructible shell. Noah tries the double blaster again, but it overloads and Turtlelini sends a huge fireball their way.

The Rangers go Alien Ranger and they retreat back to Gosei’s lair where Noah says they’ll have to build a new blaster… together.

Noah is not done yet when the alarm sounds. Turtlelini is back, so the others decide to go hold him off. They decide to go Jungle Fury, but they still can’t get through Turtlelini’s shell.

Troy says they should now try Power Rangers Dragon, but that’s still not enough. They continue to get thrown around as NoahinJake finally finishes the upgrades to the blaster and joins them.

NoahinJake hands Troy the brand new Super Mega Cannon. Everyone inserts their keys and together they fire a Super Mega Blast to destroy Turtlelini’s shell and Turtlelini himself.

The Rangers are joined by Orion when they confront Tranceferer at the diplomatic meeting. They take the fight outside.

Jake and Noah take on Tranceferer themselves and with a Super Mega Saber Blast, they finish him off and switch back to their normal bodies.

Tranceferer embiggens and the Rangers hop into their Megazords. But wait! Gosei tells them they have unlocked the power of Ninja Storm and can now combine with the Ninja Zord to form the Legendary Ninja Megazord.

With a Ninja Zord attack, they finish off Tranceferer for good.

Later, Orion apologizes for being so wrapped up in pod repairs. But Emma is more excited to get back to the butterfly sanctuary with Jake.

Episode Thoughts>

This was an alright episode. It started off well enough, but really took a nosedive in the 2nd half which was an absolute mess.

Still, I enjoyed the switching antics in the beginning and Emma forcing Jake to be her slave and Gia flirting with an oblivious Noah.

However, Gosei’s back to his prize of the week announcements. But this might have been the worst one yet since they unlocked the “Ninja Zord,” but didn’t even morph into Ninja Storm the whole episode. Wow.

Definitely not up to par with the AMAZING episodes of the last few weeks.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episodes: Episode 27 – A More Than Usual Gokai Change and Episode 32 – One Power

They smashed together two unrelated Gokaiger episodes here. No wonder it was a mess.

I do like that they switched Jake and Noah instead of following the Gokaiger story which switched Luka with Don-san. It actually allowed them to use those scenes of Don-san/Gokai Green come in with the canon and explain why “Jake” would suddenly have a brand new weapon out of the blue.

But this could’ve easily been two episodes instead of one. I hate to say it, but maybe swap out one of the (AMAZING) filler episodes and do a whole episode about putting together the canon and have more body switched fun. Then have a whole other episode for a Ninja Storm tribute.

Instead we got a strange mish-mash which basically resulted in Orion looking like a huge jerk. Answer your phone dude!

Overall, it was just alright, but could’ve easily been two good episodes instead of one messy one.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (14) 34 – In the Driver’s Seat

Gosei tells Tensou to call the Rangers as they’ve just received an Extradimensional Emergency Alert.

The Rangers arrive and Gosei tells them they’ve received an emergency signal from Corinth. Noah finds that Corinth is the home of the RPM Rangers in another dimension. Yes, Gosei says. While a Helheim Crack wormhole has opened up, only an emergency signal came through. And besides, Corinth has been in peace for a long time.

The Rangers want to go through the wormhole, but Gosei says if they leave, then Earth will be left defenseless. It’s okay, the Rangers say, Gosei can always hollaback.

Fine, Gosei tells them to take the Sky Ship. Emma thinks it is sooo cool to be going to another dimension. (Which is probably experiencing a huge emergency if they’ve sent an Emergency signal. So cool.)

But through the wormhole, Professor Cog and a dozen Grinders arrive undetected and laughs at the Rangers going through the wormhole which he closes behind them.

Professor Cog ambushes a farmer and tells him to take him and the Grinders to the city.

All the Rangers are so excited to be in a wormhole and “traveling through the very fabric of time and space.” It is absolutely amazing to be able to take a trip to a city that’s in trouble.

But it’s also amazing just being a Power Rangers, Emma says. To be able to save the world and all that. Orion wishes he could’ve saved his own world, but he’s happy to get the chance to stop the Armada now.

The Rangers arrive in… Corinth? They are wowed by this futuristic looking city. Noah says it is like stepping into Ranger history! They spot a car zord and Noah finds out it is the Turbo Falcon, a prototype locked away because it was too difficult to control. It must have gotten out somehow.

Back in Zawame, Harwood County, Professor Cog and the Grinders are attacking. Vekar cannot believe this new guy is stealing all his thunder. He orders Levira, Argus and Damaras to accompany him down to Earth.

They face Professor Cog who is annoyed that after he’s gotten the Rangers out of the picture, here’s more people getting his way.

Tensou sees this new arrival fighting the Armada and Gosei realizes it is Professor Cog from Corinth. He tells Tensou to summon the Rangers back immediately!

Back in “Corinth,” the Rangers use a MEGAphone to try to get the Turbo Falcon to stop, but it just blows them off and starts shooting missiles at them.

“He’s going to blow this ship to pieces!”

Troy tells the others to put their helmets on and hop into their zords. They need to slow Turbo Falcon down. But Turbo Falcon is just too fast and slick to get stopped by them.

Troy says he’s like a wild animal, so they must tame it instead. They combine into the Legendary Megazord and hop on its back to tame Turbo Flacon like a wild horse.

Tensou tells Gosei the wormhole is gone and he can’t contact the Rangers. “Just as I thought, it was a TRAP!”

Professor Cog acknowledges the Armada is very strong, but why haven’t they conquered Earth yet, then?

“Are they lame? Or just incompetent.”

The Rangers tell Turbo Falcon he’s a good doggie when Gosei finally reaches them. The connection is weak, but he tells them they are stuck there as Professor Cog attempts to take over the Earth.

Turbo Falcon is trying to tell them something, Gia says. Suddenly it shifts into hovermode and starts ramming an invisible wall. He’s opened up the wormhole!

The Rangers thank the Turbo Falcon and tell it to take care of Corinth. They return home. Professor Cog suggests he and the Armada team up, but Levira says why risk their own butts.

Vekar, Levira and Argus head back up to the ship and leave some X Borgs to help Professor Cog and the Grinders.

The Rangers decide to Get in Gear and morph into RPM. After using the RPM weapons, they go back to SUPERMEGA and summon the Super Mega Cannon.

But Professor Cog embiggens by himself. The Rangers hop into their Megazords. But Turbo Falcon wants to help too. Gosei tells the Rangers to use the RPM keys to open the wormhole.

Turbo Falcon pops out of the Megazord’s chest and they combine to form the Legendary RPM Megazord. They deliver a Legendary RPM Grand Prix final strike to finish off Professor Cog.

They guide Turbo Falcon to where the wormhole first appeared and they see him off.

But now they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. The farmer from earlier drives by, but he is not going to be picking up strange hitchhikers again.

Episode Thoughts

OMG.

So let me start by saying that I’m a HUGE RPM fan who thinks RPM is the gold standard by which all Power Rangers seasons should be judged by. I am also a huge RPM fan who actually did not mind Clash of the Red Rangers. In fact, I actually kinda liked it.

Okay. But this episode. WOW. WTF was that?!

That was an absolute mess. Probably right on par with the worst Megaforce episodes yet. If not the worst.

First you’ve got the Rangers excited to respond to an emergency signal like they were going on an island vacation. Then you’ve got “Corinth” looking more like the future in Time Force or something they could’ve constructed alongside Terra Venture. That was definitely nothing like Corinth.

Then you’ve got Professor Cog who was supposed to be dead. And some random farm gags. This was a mish-mash of an episode.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episodes: Episode 35 – Dimension on the Other Side and Episode 36 – Partner Pirate

And worst of all, it was obviously a direct translation of the Gokaiger episode. Everything from the terminology to “Corinth” to the sentient zord, it was all Go-Onger. And if you don’t know, RPM and Go-Onger have nothing in common.

This was a great tribute ep to Go-Onger, but definitely not RPM.

So much promise after the hiatus with the filler episodes, but now, meh.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce – Episode (15) 35 – All Hail Prince Vekar

Gosei tells the Rangers they’ve earned a day off for all the hard work they’ve done. The Rangers convince Gosei to let them take the Sky Ship out for a joyride.

Meanwhile, Prince Vekar’s father has sent the Royal Guard to deliver a new Armada Megazord to help in the fight. Vekar thinks this is exactly what they need to destroy the Rangers. He wants to pilot it himself. Damaras is not sure about that.

Vekar goes to the hangar and flashes back to his father telling Damaras to keep his “fool of a son” safe during this mission. He may be an idiot and nothing like Vrak, but he’s the firstborn and heir. Damaras must guide him.

Argus pops in and Vekar calls him the only one he can trust. He asks Argus to join him in this upcoming battle.

Argus interrupts the Rangers’ picnic by firing at the Sky Ship. They jump down to the ground and morph.

Noah says he’ll take on Argus himself while the Rangers have to deal with the two Royal Guards.

Orion goes Mystic Wolf.

Argus charges up a Sword Slash while Noah does a Radiant Saber. The others join him, but Noah wants to finish this by himself. Vekar walks in and tells Argus good job.

Orion recognizes him.

“You! You’re the one who destroyed my planet.”
“Yeah, so? What do you want, an autograph?”

Vekar tells them to surrender, but the Rangers refuse. That’s fine, Vekar says. He tells Levira to send the Armada Megazord and the Rangers hop into their own Megazords.

The Rangers decide to summon Turbo Falcon Mach Speed, but Vekar easily dispatches it.

Levira is excited that Vekar may actually defeat the Rangers. “I hope so… for his sake,” Argus says under his breath.

The Rangers decide to combine.into Legendary Q-Rex Megazord. They do some evasive maneuvers, but Vekar is still owning them. Orion and Jake say they cannot hold this Legendary combination much longer.

Troy says the other must eject themselves. He will take Vekar on himself, otherwise Earth will have no one to defend it.

Vekar laughs that the Rangers are already struggling and he’s not even at full power.

The Rangers, minus Troy get ejected to different parts of the city. They watch as Vekar dismantles the Megazord and sends the Sky Ship flying off into the distance.

The Rangers fear he’s dead, but Troy wakes up next to the wrecked ship.

Vekar returns up to the Armada command ship to a celebratory feast featuring Vortox Juice. He tells Damaras to send Argus to finish off the others.

Noah runs into Argus. He tells Argus to “Move.” But Argus says they must fight.

Noah morphs straight to Super Mega Mode and goes crazy.

The others reunite with Orion who is freaking out.

“This is bad… it’s like… Armageddon!!!!!!!!”

Noah says Troy sacrificed himself to save their world and he is not going to let that sacrifice mean nothing. Noah blocks Argus’ Sword Slash, causing him to demorph. But with two slashes, Noah defeats Argus.

Vekar is upset the Rangers have killed his only trusted soldier. Now they’re gonna get it.

Noah reunites with the other Rangers… including Troy with a damage-free Sky Ship when they face off against Royal Guards and some X Borgs. They morph straight into Super Mega Mode and teleport into a different barren landscape before summoning the Super Mega Cannon.

They take care of the Royal Guards, but Vekar is back in his Megazord. The Rangers hop into the Megazord and decide to use the Blitz Legendary Power summon the Mystic Dragon, the Ninjazord and the Turbo Falcon, but nothing works.

The Rangers talk about choices and never giving up and being Power Rangers for a reason.

CONGRATULATIONS! Gosei says they have unlocked the Ultimate Megazord Combination!

“I choose that!”

The Ultimate Engine Cell appears and they slip it into Turbo Falcon to activate the combining of the Ultimate Legendary Megazord.

They unleash a Super Mega Final Strike Lightning Fist and that destroys Vekar’s Megazord. And Vekar himself.

Levira cannot believe the Prince is gone. “What now?!?!”
“Now, we avenge him.”

The Rangers are happy and celebrating their two kills today thinking this is the end.

But Damaras emerges from the wreckage of the Megazord with Vekar’s lifeless body. Damaras is regretful that he let Vekar march to his death, but now he vows to make the Rangers pay.

Episode Thoughts

Well! That final scene with Damaras could almost redeem the rest of the episode. But alas, it can’t.

With better material and a better story foundation, Jason Smith could probably write a truly epic episode and maybe even season!

But this episode just doesn’t work when Megaforce as a whole has been hollow action and story. It highlights how bare the plot of these two years have been when another climactic battle (and random duel) loses any kind of meaning.

Another Gosei “CONGRATULATIONS YOU’VE WON A NEW CAR!” and another Ranger celebration when they really haven’t done anything of note. I think Vekar had better character development this season than the Rangers. And Vrak especially coming soon.

It makes you think about the story that could’ve been told in those (excellent) filler episodes that would’ve helped make an episode like this be more exciting and meaningful.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episodes: Episode 37 – The Strongest Fighting Machine and Episode 38 – The Power to Seize Dreams

Completely different episode plots, but still used the footage in the same exact way.

We saw Troy go on a suicide mission, but that was because Marvelous was reminded of his own experiences with AkaRed. And of course there’s Noah suddenly being a huge badass only because of Joe and Barizorg’s whole story in Gokaiger.

The smashing together of two episodes would’ve been fine if these sudden moves by Troy and Noah, for example, had been in character for them. But it was completely plot and footage driven.

Overall, another episode of hollow action, which is basically the norm with Megaforce.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (16) 36 – Vrak is Back

Vrak is back. And he feels no remorse over the loss of his little brother who conveniently provided a distraction to the Rangers while he prepared the drills he would use to tear Earth apart.

But first, he captures Orion to drain him of his alien life force to help disable the Rangers’ Legendary Powers and then turn one of their own against them.

The Rangers are on their way to school when suddenly, all morning traffic comes to a halt as the townspeople stop and stare at the huge drill.

At Gosei’s lair, the Ranger Keys are turning to stone and Gosei says he’s never sensed evil like this in a long time. He tells Tensou to summon the Rangers to the quarry and there they meet Vrak for the first time.

Vrak says he is here to claim his birthright, especially with his brother gone. The Rangers are disgusted Vrak has no emotion for the brother they had just killed themselves.

The Rangers morph into just Megaforce and unleash their different attacks only to get them mirrored by Vrak. They decide to go SUPERMEGA! But nothing happens.

Vrak just laughs and explains his entire plan. He tells them he’s turned the keys to stone. Two more drills are about to drop. And he’s got Orion who he will drain his life force of until he’s just an empty meatsuit.

The Rangers summon their Megaforce Blaster, but Vrak just swats it and every other attack of theirs away.

“You Rangers are a nuisance! Like bugs buzzing around my ears. You know what happens to little bugs?”

Vrak just pokes them and they go flying. The Rangers are no match for Vrak’s power. But Vrak won’t kill them just yet. He wants them to suffer. But there’s also someone else who should have the honor of killing them.

Vrak leaves and returns to his underwater headquarters where he’s got Robo Knight all chained up. Robo Knight refuses to do Vrak’s bidding, but Vrak says it’s no use.

Vrak summons Tresnag and Drill Horn and introduces them to Dark Robo Knight.

The Rangers return to Gosei’s lair. They can’t believe Vrak has been one step ahead of them this entire time. Tensou tracks Vrak to the pier and the Rangers hurry over.

Vrak introduces them to his “right and left hand monsters.” Literally. Tresnag and Drill Horn become Vrak’s hands and he uses them to block the Rangers’ attacks.

Dark Robo Knight comes flying in and the Rangers are shocked. Vrak explains he has been reprogrammed. Dark Robo Knight says his mission is to destroy this planet and its protectors. Vrak showed him the light.

Troy tells Dark Robo Knight to look inside himself. Noah wants to disable him.

Dark Robo Knight knocks them around and is about to finish them off, but Vrak says to wait. He wants them to suffer more by watching the drills rip their planet apart.

“What are we going to do?”
“We go ULTRA!”

Back underwater, Vrak explains they need the Rangers’ power to help place the next drill.

“Vrak! You’re not getting away this time.”
“Why would I run away?”

The Rangers find Vrak by the ocean. Dark Robo Knight arrives and fires his Vulcan Cannon at them. Noah charges at Robo Knight.

The others run to help and Vrak summons Tresnag. They attack. But what they don’t know is Tresnag is absorbing the power of every attack to use for the drill.

Noah breaks free of Robo Knight and charges toward Vrak, but Vrak again just swats him away. Vrak pulls out two energy orbs he created from Orion’s power. He wants to make one of Noah’s too.

Tresnag absolutely wrecks the other Rangers while Noah faces off against Vrak.

The others seem to have cut Tresnag down to size, but Vrak has had enough of this so he calls Robo Knight for them to leave after using some zombats to embiggen Tresnag.

The Rangers hop into their Mechamegazordzords and form the Gosei Great Megazord for the first time this season.

Tresnag has his mission on his mind and tells the Rangers to bring it on.

The Rangers go Seaick Gosei Great. They use a Victory Charge card, which Tresnag happily absorbs. “My mission is finally complete master!”

With all the power that he has absorbed, Tresnag has now become a drill and places himself in the ocean.

Vrak laughs that the very power used to protect Earth will now be what destroys it.

“The Silver Ranger, Robo Knight and you have all made my plan a reality!”

TO BE CONTINUED

Episode Thoughts

This episode is exactly like Megaforce’s final episodes. This one suffered the same problem: Great, but hollow action.

No build-up, no story. Just lots of pretty explosions and fights. At the very least, Vrak is an excellent villain. But to have to face off against such bland “heroes?”

Vrak was always one step ahead of them? Well, duh. Maybe if the Rangers weren’t having dance parties after every MEGAWIN then they might have been able to anticipate or even prepare for such an attack. Just last week, they were already celebrating the end as if Vekar was the only member of the Armada.

Anyway, I did really like the scene of the townspeople looking at the huge drill. That’s the kind of shocking impending doom that needs build-up.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Tensou Sentai Goseiger Episodes: Epic 45 – The Messiah is Born, Epic 46 – Gosei Knight is Targeted and Epic 47 – The Trap of the Earth Salvation Plan

So trying to condense Goseiger‘s 4 distinct arcs into 20 episodes was a futile endeavor. But it just feels wrong when Megaforce brushes off Brajira’s elaborate and awesome plan and ultimate identity into Vrak having “other modes.”

Vrak is still awesome, but it just highlights how different (and better) Goseiger is. Or really, with Goseiger, we see how good story and character development can result in a truly thrilling and meaningful climax.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (17) 37 – Vrak is Back, Part 2

Now it’s time for Drill Horn to play his part and Robo Knight to destroy the Rangers.

The Rangers run over to the just installed drill. Gia uses her Rock Rush card to hurl a rock at the huge thing, but the rock just shatters to pieces. Vrak appears and laughs. Robo Knight is by his side and declares it is time for the Power Rangers to end. (I agree! lol)

Troy tells Emma to fly the Command Ship and try to take out the drill while the rest of them take care of Vrak and Dark Robo Knight.

The Rangers morph. Noah and Jake want to attack, but Troy stops them. They can’t hurt their friend! Troy convinces the others that they can still save Robo Knight. Vrak laughs.

Emma is having no success even leaving a scratch on the drill. Robo Knight attacks the others and hurls them all over the place. He asks Vrak permission to finish them.

Troy decides to go ULTRA by himself and tells the others to go stop Vrak. Troy insists they are still Robo Knight’s friend. Vrak summons Drill Horn to stop Gia, Noah and Jake from helping Troy.

Troy and Robo Knight have taken their fight into the warehouse district. Robo Knight forces Troy out of Ultra Mode.

Emma joins the others, but Drill Horn tells Vrak that he is ready. Vrak sends the Zombats and Drill Horn embiggens. He flies into the city and starts rampaging.

The Rangers summon Gosei Ultimate. They initiate an Ultimate Strike to finish off Drill Horn. Which is exactly what he wanted.

Robo Knight forces Troy to de-morph. They fight and the others hurry to join them as Troy again tries convincing Robo Knight to stop. Troy tells the others to stand back. He will handle this himself.

“I’ll never give up on you!”

The others helplessly watch as Troy gets knocked around. They want to help, but Troy tells them not to.

“ROBO KNIGHT!!! YOU HAVE A MISSION TO FULFILL!!!”

Suddenly, Troy glows and with one punch, Robo Knight goes flying. His black visor turns back to red.

The Rangers run over to him. Robo Knight is back! “You’ve brought me back to the light.”

“I’m damaged badly. Recovery may be impossible.”

The Rangers tell him they will not give up on him. They’ll get him to the Command Center. But suddenly, there’s a bright flash of light. The Rangers go out to see another drill getting stuck into the ground.

Vrak thanks the Rangers for all their help.

With the Rangers outside the warehouse, Robo Knight gets up and says there is one last thing he must do alone. Gosei tells the Rangers to hurry with Robo Knight to the Command Center, but when they turn around, they find he is gone.

The Rangers are worried and panicked about their friends being gone. But Gosei says they must focus on stopping Vrak, “it is war out there.”

Troy notices Robo Knight’s key is glowing. He knows Robo Knight is out there “doing something good.”

Vrak is ready to drain Orion of his last life energy. But Robo Knight appears to try and stop him. Vrak won’t let that happen.

“This base will become your grave!”

Vrak sets his underwater base to self-destruct. Robo Knight takes Orion and escapes the base.

In Gosei’s lair, the Rangers are watching Robo Knight’s key and it stops glowing.

“Does that mean?”
“Yeah. He’s gone.”
“We’ll never forget him.”

The alarm sounds and Tensou says Vrak is back at the quarry. The Rangers want to avenge Robo Knight’s “death.”

Vrak is activating the drills. They begin drilling into the Earth.

The Rangers arrive, but Vrak just laughs and initiates a solar eclipse to draw even more of his dark power.

The Rangers morph and then go Ultra Mode. They send an Ultra Strike toward Vrak, but he just catches it and squashes it in his hand.

Vrak unleashes more of his dark power, but the Rangers keep charging forward. The solar eclipse arrives. The Rangers try the Megaforce Blaster one more time and a Dynamic Victory Charge. But Vrak counters it with his own dark power.

The Rangers somehow find a way to send a powerful blast toward Vrak. But he’s still alive. Troy charges forward.

The Rangers talk about burning hope flames. They block one of Vrak’s attacks and Gosei supports Troy’s idea to use a Sky Strike. The eclipse will multiply their power 1000x.

The others launch Troy into the air for an Infinite Sky Strike. For the Earth! For Robo Knight!

That slices Vrak in half. And the eclipse is over.

The drills disappear.

The Rangers see something on the beach. It’s Orion. They run over to him.

They bring him back to the Command Center and Orion tells them he was almost dead until this amazing Robo Knight saved him.

“He sacrificed his own life force and transferred it to me. He may be gone, but I carry his energy inside. He will always be with me.”

“He’ll always be with all of us.”

Gosei says Robo Knight was a true warrior, as are all of them. They have finally destroyed Vrak and saved the Earth. His energy is inside Orion and they will defeat the Armada once and for all!

Episode Thoughts

*sigh*

This episode was so unintentionally hilarious throughout. But at the same time so depressingly cringe-worthy.

Troy’s glowing-Hulk/Super Saiyan moment was the most hilarious. I’d have cracked up if I were there filming that scene and he started screaming like that. Then there’s Noah’s deadpan, matter of fact “Yeah, he’s gone” when they were watching Robo Knight’s key go out. Like WTF are you all on?

Like all of Megaforce, this episode was all hollow action. There’s no other way to describe it. They have all of the Sentai action footage of course, but they didn’t bother to set up any story to back it up or serve as a foundation to the pretty explosions and fights.

I will say that the unmorphed Troy-Robo Knight scene was pretty awesome. Partly because it was so brutal. But Troy is not an angel, so he should not be glowing like that.

Killing off Robo Knight though? Just because they couldn’t film one or two scenes for the final 3 episodes? Robo Knight dying should be so huge and dramatic, but it just wasn’t.

And what about Vrak’s ultimate end? The Rangers struggle all this time, but just one eclipse-powered slice from Troy and he’s dead? Oh brother.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Tensou Sentai Goseiger Episodes: Epic 48 – The Fighting Gosei Power, Epic 49 – Fight Towards the Future, Epic 50 – Protecting the Planet is an Angel’s Duty

Much of the hilarity and cringe-worthy material was because they chopped up the final three episodes of Goseiger and stripped them of any sense and meaningful detail. They gave Troy lines and personality meant for Alata.

And Troy is definitely no Alata. (That’s not a compliment.)

Goseiger‘s finale was incredibly epic. Say what you will about the season itself, but it ended with a HUGE bang. Excellent finale. That scene of the Goseigers flying into the air to use the Gosei Global power to get rid of the wedges definitely made me tear up. Beautiful scene, especially with the theme song kicking in.

But here on Megaforce? Nothing. It meant absolutely nothing. =(
*sigh* Oh well.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (18) 38 – Emperor Mavro

Damaras and Levira are on the ship, wondering what their next orders are now that Vekar is dead. Suddenly, they appear to get attacked. But actually, it is Emperor Mavro himself. He is here to punish Damaras for his failure and incompetence. But also to get revenge on the Rangers who murdered his children.

Downtown, the Rangers are fighting off X-Borgs. And they easily finish them off, but the others notice Jake is clowning around. They demorph and he explains that he’s just making things interesting and fun. This is the end! There’s no more monsters.

Noah agrees. They must only have soldiers left. This is the beginning of the end. Troy isn’t sure about that. But Jake says they are winning very easily, it’s good news.

But Troy is still not sure. Emma wants a piggyback race. She jumps on Noah and Gia jumps on Jake and they run to Ernie’s. Orion offers Troy a piggyback ride, but Troy has a better idea.

Meanwhile, Levira convinces Emperor Mavro to allow Damaras to take care of the Rangers.

Orion accompanies Troy to buy tickets to a rock concert tonight.

The others are laughing it up as Jake and Noah collapse from exhaustion. But things get considerably less funny when hundreds of Armada ships begin attacking the city. And in front of them appears Damaras.

They charge at him with their blasters only to get knocked over and thrown around as Damaras sends blasts toward the city. Damaras laughs at how pathetic the Rangers appear to be.

Troy and Orion hurry in and they immediately go to check if Noah and Jake are alright.

Orion recognizes Damaras, “the most powerful warrior in the universe.”

Damaras is excited to get his revenge, but the Rangers defiantly say that will never happen. They morph directly into SUPERMEGA!

They attack, but Damaras easily takes care of them. Troy says they must retreat, but he has to help Jake up first. Damaras takes this opening to continue attacking them.

Jake helps Troy, but they both get slammed against the warehouse and are forced to demorph. Jake tries punching Damaras in the face, but he just gets swatted away.

Damaras takes Troy by the collar. Troy tries to morph, but Damaras knocks his morpher and key away before tossing Troy aside. He becomes unconscious and Damaras throws him over his shoulder and disappears.

Jake goes to the others who are all out of it.

Damaras dumps Troy in front of Emperor Mavro. Troy is still defiant. Emperor Mavro knows the Red Ranger is a hero on Earth. He wonders if the people will give up their planet to save him.

Emperor Mavro orders Damaras to put the famous Red Ranger on display so the Earth can see.

Jake is nursing the Rangers at Gosei’s lair when Damaras begins broadcasting to the world. He’s got Troy, in nonSUPERMEGA mode and helmetless tied up. Damaras tells the world that he’s got their “most revered fighter” and they must surrender within the hour or he will die.

The other Rangers want to go save Troy, but Jake says he’ll go alone. Gosei says Tensou will help.

Troy tells Damaras that the fight against them will continue with or without him. Damaras tells the two Royal Guards to finish Troy off for good.

But Jake arrives. “I got ya covered bro.”

Jake takes on the X Borgs and Royal Guards. He goes regular Mega first then SUPERMEGA! Troy tells Jake not to give up. Jake morphs into Green Mystic Ranger and calls Damaras a chicken.

Damaras jumps down and forces Jake to demorph.

Meanwhile, Tensou has just broken Troy free of the chains. Troy jumps down and helps Jake who hands him his Legendary Morpher.

The other Rangers join them and they all go SUPERMEGA together. They take care of the X Borgs, but Damaras can still handle them.

That is until Jake and Troy tag team and send a simple shot towards Damaras which pushes him back.

They summon the SUPERMEGA Cannon and defeat Damaras’ first life. Levira embiggens Damaras for “one last chance.”

The Rangers hop into their megazords and they fight Damaras. They decide to use the Ultimate Legendary Megazord and they finish him off.

The Rangers bring Tensou back to Gosei’s lair. Troy thanks everyone for saving him. Especially Jake who put on “an impressive show bro.”

Troy wants to treat them to a rock concert.

“YOU bought tickets to a rock concert? Get outta here.”

The others are surprised, but they’ll take ‘em. The Rebel Rockers!!! They love those guys. Orion has no idea what a ROCK concert is.

The Rangers head to the club where Antonio and Mia and brother Terry are performing their #1 hit “Everyday Fun.”

“This is the BEST rock group I’ve ever seen!” Orion proclaims.

Episode Thoughts

It was an alright episode, but definitely lots of hilarious moments.

Emperor Mavro forgetting Vekar, the Rangers naively thinking they’ve won… again, Damaras suddenly being the greatest warrior evah, Jake suddenly borrowing Don-san’s story, Gosei not having anything to say, Orion loving the only non-stone rock group he’s ever seen, the Rangers not knowing who Mia and Antonio are, the idea that anyone would trade Earth for Troy… it was all hilarious stuff.

But the most hilarious, or maybe sad, moment from the episode was the end when the Rangers went back in time to make a cameo on “He Ain’t Heavy Metal, He’s My Brother.” Now THAT’S funny.

Funny because it reminded me of how much better Samurai actually is than Megaforce. I never thought that was possible, but seeing Mia being a rock star reminds me how Samurai actually had character development. Or at least more than Megaforce at least. Oh well.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episodes: Episode 41 – Something I Don’t Want to Lose, Episode 42 – The Strongest Man in the Universe and Episode 43 – To the Legendary Hero

So they basically just translated Don-san’s big two-parter which is not surprising, but still hilariously odd.

I find it amusing how Megaforce was able to stitch together three Gokaiger episodes and still found time to insert old Samurai footage. lol

But watching the corresponding Gokaiger episodes again also reminded me of the awesome sonuvabitch Basco. So much awesomeness from him that is sorely absent on Megaforce. *sigh*

Orion is saying goodbye to Ernie. Ernie wishes him luck and retires Orion’s apron. Emma picks him up from the mall. He says he’s learned so much from them.

She gets emotional. She, they! will all miss him.

The others are at Orion’s ship. Now that the Armada’s decimated, he can head home and start rebuilding his world. They give him some snacks and mementos of Earth. Emma gives him a plant to plant on his world so he’s never too far from his second home. He says he will miss them, he owes them a lot.

Noah showed him the importance of fighting with head and hands. Gia showed him to be tough and caring at the same time. He skips Troy and says Jake taught him that you can have humor in the most inappropriate times.

“That’s why everyone loves me! Except for some really stubborn people.” GIA.

Orion thanks Emma for her empathy helping him heal the scars of losing his home. And finally Troy. Troy taught Orion the most important lesson of all: How to be a Ranger.

Emma kisses him on the cheek before he hops into his ship and leaves.

“He knows how to fly that thing, right?”

Orion speeds off.

“Goodbyes are always so sad.”

Already out of Earth’s orbit, he has a promo picture from the show and says he’ll never forget his human friends. He tells Autopilot to take him home.

Tensou tells Gosei that he’s trying to contact Orion. He never got a chance to say goodbye. While Tensou is finding the right frequency, they catch a transmission from the Armada. It’s Emperor Mavro. “The real invasion begins now!”

Gosei summons the Rangers to the command center right away. He plays the transmission for them. Emperor Mavro has ordered every single Armada ship in the galaxy to set a course for Earth.

Gosei says he’s never heard of a mobilization this large. Emperor Mavro has a massive fleet and is incredibly powerful.

Oh noes. Orion just left, so there’s only five of them now. No, Troy says. Look around you! There’s all these Rangers who came before them. They entrusted their power to them and they believe in them. There’s over a HUNDRED of them fighting for Earth!

Gosei believes in them too. The Rangers hop into the Sky Ship.

Up in the Armada command ship, Levira enters and congratulates Mavro. But how dare she even address the Emperor after bumbling to protect Vekar. She must prove her worth.

Levira hops into her new Megazord. She attacks the Sky Ship and the Rangers combine the Megazord. They summon the Ninja Zord, but Levira counters easily.

The Rangers then use the Super Mega Cannon and a Fire Smasher to destroy the Megazord. Levira abandons ship.

Levira calls the Rangers “cowards,” so they jump down to face her and newly arrived Royal Guards who say they’ve been ordered to assist her.

Levira has her own mega cannons. But the Rangers decide to use some All-Star New Powers!

Troy goes MMPR Red. Jake goes Blitz Black. Emma goes Prism Green. Noah goes Lightning Blue. And Gia goes Super Sonic Yellow.

Levira wants redemption. Troy says she doesn’t deserve it. Jake uses a Griffin Magma Galaxy and Emma uses a Prism Punch attack.

The Royal Guards are dead and they summon the Super Mega Cannon to finally kill Levira for good. She calls up to Mavro. “Use my maximizer! Don’t forsake me!”

But he forsakes her. She was just a distraction.

The Rangers are suddenly attacked from above, forcing them to demorph.

They look up in the sky. It is full of Armada ships. Ernie, Mr. Burley and the rest of the human race all head outside to see their impending doom in the sky.

Emperor Mavro talks to the Rangers. He says they are hopeless. Gosei tells the Rangers to stay strong.

The Rangers don’t want to give up so they morph into regular Mega. “Earth’s defenders! NEVER SURRENDER!”

“You have doomed yourselves and your entire planet!”

The Rangers start running when they get shot at. The Armada begins attacking the city and people head inside for cover.

The Rangers go SUPERMEGA and jump into the Legendary Megazord and the Q-Rex, which they still have.

The Rangers decide to use all the Legendary Zords they have and talk their way through taking care of the Armada Ships. They think.

The people celebrate. They are saved! They thank the Rangers.

Orion checks his comm links and he hears Mavro deploying the 2nd wave of Armada ships.

The new swarm of Armada Ships takes out every single one of the Legendary Zords.

Now Mavro takes out the Legendary Megazord and the Rangers are hurled back down to the surface of the Earth. They are unconscious in the rubble of the city.

Mavro broadcasts. They control the galaxy. Now that the Power Rangers are dead, the rest of the world is next. Emperor Mavro gives the humans one last night to “savor” their despair. Tomorrow at dawn, they’ll be back to kill everyone for good.

Episode Thoughts

Well. This was definitely another episode that highlighted Megaforce‘s biggest problem: No story and pretty but hollow action.

I mean, the scenes of Orion flying off, the people panicking, the Rangers dumbfounded at the Armada’s invasion, them sprawled out in the rubble, the clusterfrak CGI Megazord battle… it was all pretty and great to look at. But there is absolutely no meaning or depth to any of it.

You could’ve put this episode at the start of Megaforce and it would have the same effect. Meaning, the 37 episodes before this have no bearing on understanding what’s happening here. There was no build-up and the dumb celebrating at the end of each episode just exacerbated that fact.

Then you’ve got Orion randomly going back to a desolate planet to rebuild it himself. (But no repopulation eh?) And the endless talking during every single fight.

At least the idea of an All-Star New Powers team is hilarious.

How Much Different Was Power Rangers From Sentai?

Corresponding Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Episodes: Episode 49 – The Greatest Treasure in the Universe and Episode 50 – The Day of Battle

They took the basic fight scenes between Levira and the Rangers and that clusterfrak Megazord battle. But the biggest difference was the Gokaiger episodes dealt with the climax of the season-long arc. A season-long arc that Megaforce obviously did not have.

And of course, the Gokaiger episodes still had tributes to past Sentai teams and featured more cameos. Something Megaforce has not done.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Megaforce, Episode (20) 40 – Legendary Battle

The city is in chaos and ruins. People are injured and trapped everywhere.

A man is trapped under a steel pillar, but it’s okay. Lightspeed Rescue is doing their job and Carter and Dana arrive to help.

A little boy named Danny has a dog trapped in rubble. But Leo is here to save him.

People are trapped inside an elevator. But they are helped out from above by TJ and Cassie.

Tommy dangerously jumps onto a teetering over the edge car.

And a kid is trapped alone in a car about to fall off the bridge. Jumping down on the hood is Tommy with a white helmet flash. He uses Saba to pull him out.

Meanwhile, the Megaforce Rangers are regaining consciousness.

Night falls in Harwood County. The survivors of the invasion are depressed and without hope, especially now that they think the Rangers are dead.

Damon and Wes listen to their cries and run off.

A mother assures her daughter the Rangers are still out there fighting for them. They’ve got to believe.

Karone hears this and smiles.

The Megaforce Rangers reunite. Troy is talking to Gosei who apologizes for all the zords being lost. “This is our darkest hour. But I have faith in you.”

The Rangers feel hopeless themselves. But Troy says people still believe in them. Gosei believes in them. The past Rangers believe in them. EVERYONE believes in them! Tomorrow morning, they will be there to stand tall, fight and WIN!

Suddenly, they hear a huge crash. They go see and it is an Armada ship. But it’s okay, it’s only Orion.

Orion asks what the plan is. Troy says they fight back.

The sun rises and the survivors hear a huge army of X Borgs marching toward the city to kill them all. But before the X Borgs can open fire, the Rangers appear, already morphed.

The Rangers tell the people to get to safety and they fight off the X Borgs. But another swarm of Armada ships arrive and attack.

Troy decides on a “two man strike force.” He and Orion run through a cheering crowd to Orion’s ship. They fly toward the Armada command ship with shields up. But the shields fail once they get close and they crash right into the ship.

They fight their way to the bridge of the ship to face Emperor Mavro.

“You two are so pathetic I do not even need to stand to defeat you!”

Mavro fights them off while sitting. But Orion goes gold and gets Mavro off of his throne.

Troy sits at the control panel and uses the command ship to destroy the other Armada ships.

Redker is distracted and that allows the other four Megaforce Rangers the opening to kill him for good, even after getting forced to demorph.

The fleet is gone, but Mavro will not give up.

Troy and Orion do some trickery and blast the console to demobilize the ship before delivering a Super Mega Blast to kill Mavro for good.

“FOR ANDRESIA!!!!!!!”

But the ship is freefalling and the other Rangers see it crashing and exploding. Noooo!!!

But yes. It’s okay. Troy and Orion come flying in using Legendary In Space Galaxy Gliders to get them safely on the ground.

“We did it. It’s over.”

Actually, it’s not. Thousands of X Borgs march toward them. “This can’t be happening!”

Troy says this is it, “one more fight.”

Suddenly, a rustling up above them. They look.

It’s Operation Overdrive! And Mighty Morphin!

Zeo! Turbo! Lost Galaxy! Wild Force! DinoThunder! Lightspeed Rescue! Mystic Force! Jungle Fury! Ninja Storm!

And Samurai!

They’re all here.

The Rangers come down from the cliffs and walk toward the Megaforce Rangers.

A select few of them take off their helmets. Wes and Damon.

Karone.

Cassie, TJ and Leo.

Carter and Dana.

Mike and Emily

And HIM.

The Rangers surround them. “I knew it!” Troy exclaims. “I’ve dreamt about this!”

“You don’t have to do it alone this time,” Tommy says. “We’re here to fight by your side.”

Wes says they’ve lived up the legacy and they’re all very proud of them.

Troy says it’s an honor to meet them. But Cassie says the honor is all theirs. She tells them to take the lead.

The Megaforce Rangers go regular Mega while the others put their helmets back on.

“Time to create a new legend!”

All the Legendary Rangers AND New Powers Rangers charge toward the huge army of X Borgs.

Robo Knight pops in to help too.

The Megaforce Rangers narrate the whole battle before using the Megaforce Blaster for a Dynamic Victory Charge to finish off the stragglers.

The Megaforce Rangers meet with Tommy who says it was an honor to fight by their side. But it’s time for them to leave.

The Rangers reach to the sky and they disappear into the universe as keys.

“It’s really over!” Orion exclaims.

The Rangers collapse and lay in the quarry.

They look at the sky. It’s blue.
What happens now though? Troy says they go home.

Gia kisses Jake and takes his arm. Troy takes his sword and sticks it in the ground.

Episode Thoughts

That was it?!

I think I’ll go watch “Forever Red” and “Once a Ranger” and all other team-ups (except the DT-SPD team-up, ewe) instead. Those were much more epic and “legendary” than this episode.

Legendary Battle it wasn’t. It was just them fighting X Borgs for goodness sakes. The final big bad was taken care of by cheap trickery, not even hand-to-hand combat at all.

And while it was great to see some old faces, they were pretty much wasted. Not only was it just a random group of vets Saban was able to get together, half of them didn’t even speak.

Now, I already watched this episode after it aired elsewhere in the world. So I knew how absurd last week’s promo was touting Tommy as THE ultimate power they need to defeat the enemy. He was completely irrelevant to the actual battle.

Not that the battle was anything much to begin with. Plus, I’m definitely one of the many PR fans who are pretty much over all things Tommy and Jason David Frank.

So it was still awesome to see Carter and Dana, Leo and Damon, TJ and Cassie and Wes. And that head turn by Karone. Now THAT was badass. But again, the randomness of why only these Rangers got to take their helmets off just continued the absurdity of this entire season.

Just like the legendary Rangers turning into keys spread out across the universe. Okay.

And what about that ending?! We didn’t see Ernie or Mr. Burley ever again. OMG are they dead?! And we didn’t even see Gosei or Tensou. WTF.

The Rangers laying in that quarry would’ve been a fine ending… had they actually gone through some huge 40 episode battle to deserve a quiet moment of peace. But they didn’t. It came off as awkward and meaningless. Like pretty much every other win of theirs this season. What, no Antonio and Mia concert to go to celebrate at?

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
Minor spoilers. Also read my First Impression Review and Check-in Review

It’s a good thing I’m writing this Hindsight Review after watching the extended version of the Super Megaforce finale because it honestly left me with some positive feelings.

If I started writing this after Saturday’s airing of the original finale cut or last week in anticipation of the US premiere or even last month after the final episodes aired internationally, I might have been a lot more negative and pissy.

So hand it to some passable editing of Gokaiger footage and Melody Perkins as Karone saying she loves being a Power Ranger (complete with Astronema overlay) that I’ll actually be more less disappointed or upset.

At the end of Power Rangers (Super) Samurai, I expressed my disappointment in the two years that had gone by and a hope that the next two years would see some improvement. I otherwise had no expectations for Megaforce for fear that I would once again be disappointed with the result.

Not having any expectations pretty much tempered the disappointment I should be feeling with the season.

But Megaforce really did fail in several ways. First, it definitely failed as an anniversary season. With all the hype it got from Saban Brands themselves, it had to have been a HUGE letdown for many fans. For me, it went pretty much as I expected. But second, and maybe even worse, was that it failed basic storytelling. On its own, the season felt absolutely hollow.

And I think that is its worst offense.

A that is where Samurai, for all its flaws, is better than Megaforce. Samurai, with the benefit of directly translating Samurai Sentai Shinkenger‘s story, actually HAD a story. And it was a story that fully developed over 40 episodes.

Megaforce has almost zero story or plot which in turn rendered any pretty action scenes and the sincerely high stakes finale hollow and empty.

What does it say about the season (and like Samurai, I consider Megaforce and Super Megaforce one season) when its best and most enjoyable episodes were three “fillers” or episodes that were standalone and had provided no forward movement to the overall story (which barely existed to begin with).

Those episodes were Episode (10) 30 – “The Perfect Storm,” Episode (11) 31 – “Love Is in the Air,” and Episode (12) 32 – “United as One.”

These three episodes introduced no new zords or powers, yet they were the most enjoyable and fun episodes of the season. We saw great writing, great production and directing and the cast getting to loosen up with actually solid performances.

Even with the lack of story, the inconsistencies brought about by the lack of effort in adapting the Japanese scripts and footage as well as the poor dialogue given to what otherwise seems like a talented group of actors really makes Megaforce one of, if not the weakest Power Rangers season yet.

Megaforce may have been hindered by needing to adapt not one, but two Sentai seasons. Both Tensou Sentai Goseiger and the real anniversary season Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger couldn’t have been any more different from each other, yet Megaforce needed to combine footage from both seasons to create one cohesive story.

Unfortunately, while it could have been entirely possible, Megaforce instead decided to not even try. Bumbling the development of Vrak (who was a bright spot when used well) as the ultimate big bad of the non-Super half of the season and then completely downplaying the threat of the Armada by having the Rangers celebrating every minor SUPERMEGA win are not ways to build up to a big finale. And it was a finale that was supposed to have a “legendary battle.”

There are definitely a lot of “What ifs?” with Megaforce. What if Nickelodeon didn’t force the 20 episode-a-year format? What if Megaforce invited alums back for in-season tribute episodes like Gokaiger? What if Saban Brands allocated their budget better to have more in-season cameos? What if they didn’t try to turn the show into Mighty Morphin 2014? What if they actually had a fresh theme song? What if they actually gave lines to the veterans they invited back? What if Disney had handled the 20th Anniversary season? What if the Megaforce Rangers actually had character development? What if Megaforce actually had story development?

But looking at the product we did get, it just failed for longtime fans and it failed for the much-talked about target demo.

The extended cut of the finale definitely felt more like the traditional Power Rangers finale, with big zord battles and big fights with the main villain. And the few extra seconds we got of the vets felt much more fulfilling than the original cut did. Most especially Karone’s added line of “I love being a Power Rangers” and Astronema overlay which should have been the kind of tribute/shoutout/callback the season should have had more of.

The Legendary Battle was not much of a battle at all. Many a Power Rangers season have had much more exciting final battles than that. Even while the Armada invasion was presented well and in very exciting sequences, it just had no meaning. It’s hard to fully get lost in the moment when the supposed drama and excitement means nothing and is simply hollow.

And as an anniversary season, the lack of any anniversary celebration other than the existing Gokaiger footage really should leave a bad taste in many a fan’s mouth.

Should we even talk about the hilarious New Powers Rangers? Why bother? The show certainly didn’t bother to explain them or integrate them in a better way than they did.

Many fans celebrated Saban Brands resurrecting the franchise after Disney dropped it. And it’s done some good since acquiring Power Rangers. The show looks amazing in HD. And Nickelodeon really is the perfect, if not the only network to help the franchise reach as wide an audience as possible.

But there are still plenty of things that need fixing and should be fixed. Not only as a service to longtime fans. But more importantly, to help bring Power Ranges into the 21st century for 21st century children. Both Samurai and Megaforce were written in a style that just does not fly with today’s kids like it did when many of us were in the “target demo” in the early 90s. Kids have so many other and better options when it comes to good children’s programming. Especially in action-adventure-type shows.

There is no reason why Power Rangers should keep living like it is 1993. Dino Charge, the next season, looks promising, especially with the return of Judd Lynn. But again, I do not want to hype myself up and raise my expectations only to get screwed once again.

Do I hope Power Rangers improves from these last four years and returns to being great, fun television? Of course. Do I expect it to? Not necessarily.

But as Megaforce showed us, if you forget even the simplest rules of storytelling (the most important of which is Actually having a story to begin with), past Ranger cameos or tributes and action-packed season finales won’t make everything better or forgive any glaring mistakes.

Happy Anniversary indeed.

So there’s a thread at Rangerboard asking people to list their top 5 seasons of Power Rangers and Super Sentai. Here’s my list which I’ll also post here/ =)

SUPER SENTAI

I only started watching Sentai with Shinkenger.

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters – Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh. It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger – ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonates with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Gokaiger – My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger – Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Great cast.

5. Tensou Sentai Goseiger – It’s either Goseiger or Kyoryuger for this last spot, but I haven’t watched half of Kyoryuger yet. But even so, Goseiger easily gets my #5 slot. One of the biggest accomplishments of Tensou Sentai Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. But while it isn’t a favorite amongst Sentai fans and it lacks some of what makes Shinkenger and Gokaiger such great seasons, Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains.

POWER RANGERS

1. Power Rangers RPM – Just a completely unexpected season. It has everything I look for in a season of PR or Sentai. That is, great characters, great actors, great writing. It had a serious, dramatic story that was balanced with plenty of lighthearted, funny and fun moments. It was a creative and fresh season that showed PR has a lot of potential, especially in the hands of people who actually care about crafting a good story while still being able to sell toys. It is also a season that is emotionally satisfying.

2. Power Rangers DinoThunder – My favorite season until RPM. And it had many of the same qualities. Great characters, actors and writing. Maybe a more back to basics, simpler premise, yet still effective. Some missed opportunities, no doubt. But the dynamic between the core three was great fun and Mesogog is still one of the best PR villains. Plus, the fact that they were able to work around JDF’s absence without skipping a beat is a great accomplishment. DinoThunder is a great season in spite of JDF, not because of him.

3. Power Rangers Operation Overdrive – One of my absolutely favorite premises of any PR season. I love the idea of globetrotting, treasure hunting Rangers as well as the idea that the Rangers came from around the world as well. I especially liked the serialized nature of the season, which perfectly fit with the idea of a continuing, season-long hunt for jewels. The villain factions was also a great concept, but definitely could’ve been used a little better. So for me, the premise and the effort put into conceptualizing and executing the story (whether they succeeded or not) is more than can be said for many other seasons. iMack was an excellent twist and done very well. James MacLurcan and Rod Lousich gave some of the best performances on PR. But maybe the biggest reason OO easily tops many others: Spencer. One of the best PR characters ever and David Weatherley, likewise, also one of the best actors on PR ever.

4. Power Rangers Wild Force – WF will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the season that got me back into Power Rangers after I guess losing interest around season 3. Specifically, “The Master’s Last Stand” was the episode that wowed me and made me look up Power Rangers again. Okay cast, but a great story, especially the entire Viktor Adler/Master Org plotline. He murdered Cole’s parents out of jealously for goodness sakes!

5. Power Rangers Time Force – Of the pre-WF seasons that I only discovered after getting back into Power Rangers, Time Force was the one I enjoyed the most. A solid cast with a great story. But this spot could easily be shared by Lost Galaxy, Ninja Storm and Mystic Force as well.

Recap: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Episode 1 – Powers from the Past

TYPE OF REVIEW : FULL RECAP and FIRST IMPRESSION REVIEW
Full recap, so naturally, plenty of spoilers.

A big ship with some huge cargo is in hot pursuit of a smaller aircraft through space.

The bridge is busy with activity as foot soldiers are scurrying about. Fury tells Wrench to hurry and fix the lasers before Sledge comes in. And that’s the moment Sledge comes in. He takes the lasers’ split tube with 10 million gigabolts running through it and simply attaches them to fix it.

Sledge’s fiance Poisandra also comes onto the bridge as they are hot on the heels of Keeper. Realizing this Keeper is the very one that is keeping her and Sledge from marrying, she takes the initiative to sing and send Do Re Mi blasts right at the small ship.

Keeper’s ship is hit and falls right to Earth. Sledge orders Fury to follow and retrieve the Energems.

Crash landing on Earth, Keeper is unharmed, but hurries to try and find the Energems. Instead, he immediately comes face to face with a T-Rex. It growls at Keeper, but Keeper calmly says he means it no harm. He asks the T-Rex to gather the bravest of his friends for their help.

The T-Rex leaves and Keeper digs through the wreckage to find the case holding the Energems. But Fury has arrived on Earth and finds the wreckage.

Fury approaches and sees what he believes to be a dead Keeper. To make sure, Fury decides to deliver a guaranteed stab through the heart, but before he can, he sees the Energems case. He picks it up and heads back to Sledge’s ship, while Keeper opens his eyes, perfectly fine.

Sledge and Poisandra are strolling through the several levels of cellblocks filled with wanted space criminals caught by him as a bounty hunter. But Poisandra is annoyed by Sledge’s focus on capturing criminals in exchange for asteroids. Sledge says those asteroids will make him the richest bounty hunter in the universe. Then, maybe they can be married.

“What do you mean ‘maybe’? WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!” Poisandra asserts.

They arrive at the bridge to welcome Fury back. But when they open the Energems case, they only see it contains a bomb.

The bomb immediately goes off. In the Chaos (;)), Fury gets stuffed back onto his little pod and gets launched back to Earth. Explosions rock the ship and the sharp jolts cause the huge haul of asteroids they had been tugging along to come loose.

On Earth, Keeper meets T-Rex’s dinosaur friends and asks them for help. He then shows them the Energems before inserting one into each of them for safe keeping.

Suddenly, Keeper hears Fury, shocked that he didn’t die on the exploding ship. Keeper tries to be on guard, but Fury attacks. They battle.

Just before Fury can finish off Keeper for good, they hear a rumbling. It’s Sledge’s asteroids. They are all falling to Earth. Fury decides to run for his life, as do all the dinosaurs, but it appears to be no use.

Keeper looks up into the sky, then closes his eyes as he is engulfed in black smoke from the impacts.

Fast forward 65 million years later. A woman is leading a tour group through an exhibit at the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum.

Also exploring the exhibit is a red-shirted young man. He stops a Kiwi-accented man who works here at the museum and asks about Sampson Caves where his father did some exploring 10 years ago. The Kiwi says it’s nearby.

The red-shirted fellow takes a selfie with the T-Rex skeleton before leaving.

The Kiwi, meanwhile, tries flirting with some girls passing by before stopping at the museum cafe for a drink.

Seeing him, a young waitress hurries to bring an order to a table. In her hurry, she drops a dinner roll in the soup of a glasses-wearing lady. Shelby is the young waitress’ name and she apologizes before setting the food down to a nearby table of waiting customers.

Only, this table hasn’t even ordered yet. Shelby says it’s okay because she can read their minds. She tells them to enjoy and hurries after the Kiwi whose name is Chase.

Chase calls her “Sherri” before she corrects him and segues into asking if he’s going fossil hunting today. She sees a tablet with the picture of a triceratops on it and is now even more excited to come along since that’s her favorite.

“Let’s just cut to the… Chase and check out a movie.”
“Did that line work on New Zealand girls?”
“No, it doesn’t work on them either.”

They walk out to the truck and Shelby says instead of a movie, why doesn’t she just come along on the dig. No can do, Chase says, “museum policy.”

Shelby turns to a long-haired museum employee, Koda, and says she’s got his favorite Bronto-Burger for him. As long as they let her go with them on the dig.

Koda takes a big bite of the burger.

“So I can go?!”
“Go where?”

A frustrated Shelby takes a seat on one of the crates. Koda effortlessly picks it, and her, up to place on the back of the truck.

The glasses-wearing lady from earlier, Miss Morgan, comes out and places her things on the truck. She already knows what Shelby wants to ask and the answer, like it always has been, is No. “Museum policy.”

Shelby says she knows as much about dinosaurs as any else on Miss Morgan’s crew. Miss Morgan says Chase and Koda are highly trained museum personnel.

Shelby turns to look at Chase and Koda. Chase is fooling around with his skateboard while Koda licks his fingers of Bronto-Burger sauce and burps.

Miss Morgan and her crew leave, but Shelby manages to stow away on the back of the truck.

Meanwhile, the red shirted guy from earlier has arrived at the cave. He goes in and makes his way down rock walls over molten rock and through the dark caves.

He seems to have found a dinosaur tooth, but he suddenly hears a growl. A second later, he sees from who that growl is coming from. He runs.

The guy manages to hide from the hooded figure who runs past. He turns to find he’s stumbled upon a dinosaur fossil. And in the rock wall, he finds some sort of glowing crystal. He takes it.

The dig team has arrived at the site. Shelby practices how to explain herself to Miss Morgan. But the hooded figure arrives and searches through the boxes on the truck.

Shelby sees the hooded thing steal a glowing box. She tries to let Chase and Koda know, but they cannot hear. She decides to follow the hooded figure herself.

Shelby manages to sneak behind the hooded figure and grabs the crate, but the hooded figure shoots at her.

Shelby drops the crate when she is tripped up by the explosions. The hooded figure approaches her, but the red shirted guy swoops in to grab the crate. He hurries over to help Shelby up and introduces himself as Tyler.

The hooded figure, Iceage, removes his hood. They have no idea what it is. But Tyler is ready to defend the box. He pulls stuff out of his backpack to help. First a banana then Eiji’s boxers.

He finally takes out a small shovel which helps block the blasts from Iceage and even sends them back.

But the shovel eventually melts away. Tyler asks if Shelby has any ideas.

She steps forward and tells Iceage that if he continues this, then the “thing” in the crate will also be destroyed. Iceage is sure the precious cargo will survive, but not them. He continues shooting at them and they fall to the ground, including the crate which opens.

The crate’s contents fall out, as does the crystal thing Tyler got from the cave.

Iceage is excited. There are TWO Energems.

Tyler and Shelby reach for the glowing Energems, but Iceage shoots a blast of ice to freeze them.

Both of them, however, each have a finger on the Energems and some kind of power surges through their bodies in the ice to free them.

Iceage can’t believe it. Tyler and Shelby pick up the Energems and a fossilized gun looking thing materializes in their hands. Tyler tries inserting the Energem into a hole in the gun and that breaks the gun thing out of its stone. Shelby does the same.

Tyler starts spinning a wheel on the thing and it shoots a blast that skims right by Shelby and hits Iceage.

“Nice shootin’ Tex!”

Tyler apologizes since he doesn’t know how to use the thing. Both of them start spinning the wheel then shoot, but instead of sending a blast toward Iceage, it sends out colorful bursts of energy.

And Tyler and Shelby morph.

Iceage cannot believe they have become Rangers.

Tyler and Shelby cannot believe it either, but they are confident they can defeat Iceage if they stick together. They charge and fight.

Suddenly, a huge red T-Rex comes stomping by them. Both Tyler and Shelby are forced to demorph as the T-Rex takes Iceage in its mouth and spits him clear across the mountains.

The T-Rex leaves and Tyler and Shelby can’t believe what just happened.

Shelby sees the dig team has already left and asks Tyler for a ride.

They hop into Tyler’s jeep and drive back to town. He shows her his dad’s journal. He disappeared 10 years ago on an expedition and Tyler is determined to find out what happened, no matter how long it takes.

In the journal, Tyler’s father said he was being chased by a lion looking thing. Fury.

Scary. Shelby thanks Tyler for saving her back there, even though he didn’t have to. Tyler says his father told him, “Helping is always the right thing to do.”

Shelby hopes to meet his dad one day.

They drive off. But emerging from the forest is a very alive Fury and he smells Energems.

Episode Thoughts and First Impression Review

Wowowee! This was an amazing episode. An amazing premiere!

And it’s not just because the last four years have been so horrible. This premiere episode looked and felt like it could’ve easily premiered during the Disney Era. And that’s a very good thing!

It was enjoyable, fun, refreshing, original and maybe best of all, it featured a great, talented and charming cast.

I really loved it. It even had some nice, probably unintentional callbacks to previous seasons and other shows! The dinosaurs and the young Rangers immediately remind one of DinoThunder. The fun (and good!) quips and one-liners are very Ninja Storm. Jumping right into the excitement in the opening scenes was reminiscent of RPM‘s amazing premiere. Tyler’s spelunking was very Operation Overdrive. The spaceships may remind someone of In Space or Lost Galaxy, but for me, it actually reminded me more of a big Battlestar Galactica raptor vs. cylon battle. And Tyler’s boxers was a great unintentional (or was it?) homage to Kamen Rider OOO‘s Eiji and his underwear for tomorrow.

This episode by itself was already much more enjoyable and interesting than most, if not all of Samurai or Megaforce’s episodes.

The opening scenes in space were just amazing. Most especially excellent was showing the several levels of cell blocks containing all the wanted criminals Sledge has already captured. Panning up through the levels and then following Sledge and Poisandra through the halls was just great.

Then we got to meet the awesome Keeper. Some fans were unsure or even horrified by Keeper’s design, but I think he looks great. Much better than just simply having Torin flying a spaceship. I definitely hope we get to see more of Keeper throughout the season. We’re not sure who’s going to be the mentor figure, but it would be great for Keeper to at least pop up once in a while. I want to see him kick more ass.

What about that build up to the realization that essentially, Keeper caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?! How that sequence unfolded was so good.

Our introductions to Tyler, Shelby, Chase, Koda and Miss Morgan were equally engaging. Each of them left great first impressions. Shelby was especially charming. And it is great to see Tyler is likely nothing like Daigo.

It was a full episode and they managed to squeeze in a lot of stuff even though we only got to see just a minute of spandex fighting. That in itself is also refreshing and a very promising sign that much more effort will be put in the story.

I am excited. I haven’t been this excited for Power Rangers since the finale of RPM. It’s a great feeling.

Welcome back Judd “Chip” Lynn! Looks like your magic touch has helped a great deal.

How different was Dino Charge from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger?

VERY different. This Dino Charge episode was all original footage. They not only filmed brand new villain footage, they created a brand new big bad as well as an entire spaceship set (which I’m not sure if we’re even ever going to see again). The spaceship also helped set up an entire world for Sledge as we saw with the prison cells. It’ll be interesting too to see how Sledge will be used alongside the Kyoryuger villain suits.

Chase might be a flirt like Ian. And Koda is certainly not Nossan. But Tyler and Shelby are very different from Daigo and Amy and that’s awesome.

And it’s great to have an original Keeper instead of reusing Torin, though we don’t know if American Torin could pop up in the future as well.

But the differences are evident and that is very promising.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Also, check out the brand new Power Rangers Dino Charge store, also at Amazon!

Recap: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Episode 2 – Past, Present and Fusion

A narrator explains the current situation before we head to a large New Zealand farm. Here, we meet Riley as he practices his fencing inside the barn. His older brother interrupts his playing “Three Musketeers” to get him to feed the pigs.

Riley calls his dog, Rubik, to come with, but he’s gone. Into the forest. Riley finds Rubik barking at something. And it’s Fury.

Fury wants to shut Rubik up by killing him, but Riley grabs a metal rod and blocks Fury’s sword. Fury is enraged and Riley uses his sword skills to fight off Fury’s attacks.

Fury stars sending blasts Riley’s way. The metal rod goes flying into a large rock nearby revealing a fossil. And a Green Energem.

Riley tries to pull the rod out, but the Green Energem glows and a surge of power flows through the rod and him. The rod turns into a sword and with it, Riley manages to go toe to toe with Fury.

Riley blocks a blast and it ricochets to a tree branch which falls on Fury.

Riley grabs the Energem and heads home with Rubik.

A while later, Riley says goodbye to his mom and big brother as he sets off for the dinosaur museum for the summer. His brother gives him an old owner’s manual for the scooter, just in case.

Meanwhile, Shelby wonders why these glowing things were inside fossils. Tyler thinks maybe the dinosaurs ate them.

They see Riley by the side of the road and stop to help. He says it’s okay, since he has the manual. But a truck drives by and the pages of the old manual fly off.

Tyler and Shelby welcome him and his scooter onto the jeep as they continue back into town. Shelby and Tyler think it’d be cool to live on a ranch.

Suddenly, they come across an overturned car. A woman asks them to help her husband trapped under the car.

Riley sees fluid leaking from the car and smells it is gas. They struggle to move the car even an inch until their Energems kick in and they flip the car like a chabudai.

The husband gets up, perfectly fine. No injuries.

The three teens each take the Energems out as they glow.

“Let me guess, you’re going to the dino museum, right?”

They arrive at the museum and Shelby tells Tyler to drive to the loading dock. Shelby sees Koda and Chase and they follow, but they suddenly disappear.

Tyler sees a huge dinosaur skull. He hops in and asks them to take a picture, but he moves a tooth and gets swallowed.

It’s a secret passage! Riley slides in and Shelby follows.

They find some kind of underground lab. They see the other Energems on the wall and when they take theirs out, they immediately attach themselves as wall, like it is some kind of power source.

A mysterious cloud appears and it is Keeper. He explains the Energems and says they’ve bonded with them. But why?

Koda, Chase and Miss Kendall Morgan walk out. Kendall approaches Tyler and says the red Energem chose him after he risked his life for a stranger.

Kendal says Riley’s discipline and intelligence are why he was chosen.

And finally Shelby. “Why the pink Energem chose you… is anyone’s guess.”

None of them can believe it, but Koda and Chase show them their Energems.

Kendall says she helped Keeper track down Chase after he bonded with his Energem. Then they found Koda.

“Welcome to our team.”
“You’re officially Power Rangers.”

There are still five Energems missing and they must find them before they fall into evil hands.

Shelby is not so sure about all of this. She wanted to dig for dinosaurs, not bond with them.

The alarm sounds and Kendall sees seismic activity. Chase says they must check it out. Tyler and Riley say they’re in.

Shelby is hesitant. Keeper says she fought bravely to save the Pink Energem. Now the world needs her help. Kendall says Shelby has a right to be hesitant.

“Clearly this mission is just too dangerous… for a waitress. Go without her.”

The guys start to leave, but Shelby tells them to wait. Of course she’s scared, “but I know more about dinosaurs than any of you. Fact is, you need me. And I want to help.”

They grab their Energems and Dino Chargers, but Tyler can’t grab his. Kendall sees something is interfering with the Red Energem, so he must stay behind.

The other four hurry over and find a volcano has appeared and is about to blow. But it’s just the T-Rex zord.

Kendall explains to Tyler that when someone bonds with an Energem, their zord is awakened. She explains that she created the Dino Chargers to harness the power of the Energems. They energize their weapons and morph them into battle mode.

Tyler is able to grab his Energem now and he heads downtown.

Iceage is freezing the city and orders the Vivix foot soldiers to combine into Vivizords.

But the T-Rex zord arrives and goes crazy until Iceage freezes him too.

Tyler arrives and tosses the Red Energem to the T-Rex, helping him to break free.

And “It’s morphin’ time.”

“Dino Charger, ready.”
“T-Rex Charger, engage.”
“Energize. Unleash the power!”

Tyler officially morphs into the Red Ranger. He tosses a Dino Charger into Rexy’s mouth and the T-Rex zord attacks the Vivizords.

Tyler fights off the regular sized Vivixes as the others arrive.

Chase and Koda prepare to morph. Shelby steps forward, but she doesn’t know how to use the Dino Charger. Koda tells her to click.

All four of them click, engage and morph.

Shelby, Riley, Koda and Chase take care of the Vivixes while Tyler unleashes a Final Strike with Rexy’s help to finish off Iceage.

The Rangers head back to the lab. Shelby assures Koda she’ll still make him his favorite Bronto Burger. Tyler is excited to tell his brother about this, but Kendall says nope. No one else must know of their work.

Chase goes to Keeper. The monster they fought wasn’t Fury. But didn’t Keeper say there were no other monsters on Earth?

Keeper explains that Iceage is one of the monsters caught by the bounty hunter Sledge. Sledge is the reason Keeper had to hide the Energems to begin with.

“Somehow, Sledge has returned. He’ll destroy anything to get the Energems. Including you.”

A very alive Sledge walks through his cell blocks and asks which of them can destroy him a Power Ranger.

Episode Thoughts

While not as awesome as the premiere, this was definitely still a great episode. A couple of nitpicks, but overall an enjoyable and fun half-hour

Riley’s introduction was very good. It’s nice to actually see a Ranger actually has a home and family. It helps fill out the character.

The chabudai scene was hilarious though. I don’t even think the scene was necessary, especially with the chubdai car and the man being absolutely injury-free after having a car on top of him. But it’s okay. The Rangers, and maybe more the actors themselves, made the scene still fun to watch.

Thank goodness Keeper has popped up too. And yay for no GOGO!!!.

But the lab scenes got a little iffy though. All the clumsy exposition could’ve been tightened up a little bit.

And they actually needed a little more explanation too. Like how exactly Kendall, Chase and Koda knew of the others that they weren’t surprised to see them there. Or what are zords supposed to be? Or “What’s a Power Ranger?” How did Tyler know what a Vivizord was without checking Wikipedia for the name (like I did)?

I guess they had to make up for the zero explanation in episode 1. But I do think it could’ve gone a little smoother.

Kendall was definitely a little harsh to Shelby. Especially after she showered compliments to the two guys she’s never even met before. And even when Keeper obviously has seen Shelby’s bravery. It’s an interesting dynamic, though maybe they could’ve toned it down a little? We did see that Shelby has been very persistent in joining the digs, so Miss Morgan could definitely have grown annoyed with her. But the “She’s just a waitress.” attitude was really harsh. I hope she has a reason to be that way towards Shelby other than just being annoyed. Maybe jealous?

And kinda sad that the morphing sequence is exactly like Kyoryuger. But it’s okay.

I definitely noticed the edits to the Zyudenchi though. No Gabutyra here.

Anyway, those nitpicks are excusable since the overall story has been set-up very nicely, the characters have been introduced well and the cast is great, charming and likeable.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Also, check out the brand new Power Rangers Dino Charge store, also at Amazon!

Recap: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Episode 3 – A Fool’s Hour

Fury and Sledge meet again for the first time in 55 million years. Sledge is upset Fury hasn’t been able to get even one Energem in that time.

Sledge heads down to the cellblocks and stops the imprisoned Scrapper from escaping. He proposes that if Scrapper can bring him an Energem, Sledge will personally chauffer him to any galaxy he wants.

The Rangers are down in the command center. Riley is practicing with some tennis balls. Chase sings while working on his skateboard. Shelby arrives and is happy to come to the museum without needing to work at the cafe. But Tyler’s working at the cafe now. Why? Kendall explains that some days they’re saving the world, other days they’re flipping burgers. Today, they’re flipping burgers. It helps them blend in.

A shirtless Koda comes out from one of the caves. This is his home. Kendall explains Koda bonded with the Energems 100,000 years ago, which means he is a caveman. Also, once you bond with an Energem, you stop aging.

Koda shows them his spears to hunt sabretooths as well as the petroglyphs on the wall where he’s been writing his story.

Tyler recognizes a drawing of Fury and he shows the others his father’s drawing. But the alarm sounds when several objects enter Earth’s atmosphere.

The Rangers hurry over and finally meet Sledge, Poisandra and Wrench.

“What are you? A walking lollipop?”

Koda also smells Fury who is up on the hill. Sledge demands they hand over his Energems. But Keeper pops in and says the Energems belong to no one, especially not Sledge.

Sledge explains how he waited to hitch a ride on a comet he caught in his electronets after Keeper blasted him into space. Keeper warns Sledge that if he tries to take the Energems, it will be him that is destroyed, not the Rangers.

They need to morph, but Tyler is distracted by Fury. The others snap him out of it and they morph.

The Rangers go up against Sledge, Wrench, Scrapper and a bunch of Vivix. But they are overpowered and are forced to demorph.

Lucky for the Rangers, Sledge says he’s getting old and he must zoom back up to his ship. But he’ll be back in one hour.

The Rangers decide they need to figure out a plan, but Tyler wants to follow Fury, not only because of his dad, but because he saw Fury and Sledge signaling each other.

Chase says they’re a team now. But Tyler says they can still be a team even without working together.

Tyler goes after Fury. Chase tells Shelby to let him go and they’ll just have to figure this out on their own.

Tyler catches up to Fury and hides behind a rock as Sledge and Wrench appear. Turns out their plan is to have Scrapper follow the Rangers to their base where they would then be able to steal the Energems after killing everyone.

Tyler tries calling the others, but his communicator doesn’t work. He has to hurry back to the museum.

Scrapper sees the Rangers jump into the slide and he hops into his pod to report back to Sledge. But Tyler stops him. He morphs and fights against the Vivixes.

At the lab, Kendall says with Keeper’s help, she has upgraded the Dino Chagers with a Dino Steel armor mode.

Wrench arrives to help Scrapper and Tyler is forced to demorph. The others arrive just in time. Tyler tells them about Sledge’s plan. This time, they all agree to do this together.

The Rangers morph and engage, “Dino Steel Armor On.”

They also get new weapons. Chase has a Power Chopper, Riley has a Raptor Claw, Shelby has a Tricera Drill and Koda has a Sabre Shield.

Scrapper summons two Vivizords. Chase shoots at them with his Power Chopper, but he needs help. Shelby summons her Tricera zord which takes care of the Vivizords.

Koda tells Tyler that their powers are stronger together and hands him one of his chargers. With it, Tyler finishes off Scrapper.

But Sledge embiggens Scrapper with his magnabeam. Tyler summons Rexy. Kendall tells Koda to summon his zord too as she’s found a way to combine their zords.

Tyler initiates the Tri-Stego formation and they form the Dino Charge Megazord.

With Battle Mode engaged, they deliver a Final Strike and finish off Scrapper for good.

The Rangers are back at the cafe where all of them work now.

Chase wants to apologize to Tyler for thinking he abandoned the team. Tyler is also sorry for being so quick to go off on his own and says they really do work better together.

Shelby is annoyed they must work at this job while saving the world. But Tyler says it’s okay. He’s having fun. He shows them his new trick. He flips a burger high into the air, spins… but nothing comes back down. It’s actually already in Koda’s mouth.

Episode Thoughts

Much better episode than last week’s. It was great to see Sledge show himself and actually the entire group show themselves to the Rangers already instead of just hanging out at their evil lair most of the season until the end.

I’m definitely sad though that we won’t be getting Luckyuro.

I am enjoying there actually being continuing stories and how everything has contributed to those stories. Like, for example, revealing Koda being a caveman led to Tyler learning Fury is the one his father has written about as well as learning the Rangers do not age when bonded with the Energems. (Which likely means they will be unbonded after 40 episodes. But not aging a year is very Shadow Line-y lol)

It was also great to see the Dino Steel armor actually introduced instead of it just randomly popping up. Same with the zords. (See below.) But I wish we found out what Keeper is about. Is he just a ball of gas or something?

The cast is as great and charming as they were in the first two episodes as well. And the villains are also very fun. I hope they get some good material as well beyond the usual and basic moustache twirling.

The full morphing sequence is fine and even has a little DinoThunder “Ha!” pose in there. But I always chuckle at the cockpits with free movements as controls. This episode, they had each of the Rangers doing random moves for one attack. Looked kinda funny and it does look more awkward than the alternative playing around with buttons and levers. But it’s alright.

I do feel kinda weird watching the megazord combining without fun music though. lol

How different was Dino Charge fromZyuden Sentai Kyoryuger?
Corresponding episode – Brave 2: Gaburincho! Snapping Combination

Isn’t it refreshing? The majority of this episode was original NZ footage. But even better, they actually used the Kyoryuger footage to fit their story instead of the other way around. They chopped up the original Kyoryuger episode, rearranged scenes and created a brand new narrative unrelated whatsoever to the original. They also included explaining things with even just a line or two that was not in Kyoryuger or even in Samurai or Megaforce really.

And they even went out of their way to create a whole new megazord cockpit. (Thank you Toei for creating a plain cockpit with the Japanese names of the zords and megazords hanging on the wall which forced Saban to actually have to create a new cockpit.)

This is all very good and I am happy to have so many positive things to say about a Power Rangers episode after four years. (Well, five including the reversioned debacle.) Woohoo!

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
.

Also, check out the brand new Power Rangers Dino Charge store, also at Amazon!

Recap: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Episode 4 – Return of the Caveman

A prehistoric Koda is adding to the petroglyphs on the wall when he finds the blue Energem.

Suddenly, he hears growling and hurries to his little brother Taku who is about to be gobbled up by a saber-toothed cat. Koda tackles the cat and they both fall over the cliff. But his Energem glows before he hits the bottom.

Koda wakes up.

He walks out into the lab where the others are looking at the new Dino Cycles Kendall has developed. Chase tells him to come over and “take a squiz.”

The others have no idea what’s talking about. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m speaking English.”

Anyway, Koda apologizes for being so startled by noises since his instincts tell him danger. Shelby says they understand. Just then, Shelby’s phone rings on the table and Koda smashes it to bits. He apologizes.

“Some modern things still give me nervous.”

Chase offers to help him with some pointers on riding.

Meanwhile up on the ship, Fury introduces Sledge to Slammer who can capture things in cages. Poisandra zings Fury about not even being able to find a single Energem in 65 million years.

“Pink freak!”

Sledge sends Slammer down in a pod. Poisandra tells her Sledgums that she can’t take another day in this rust bucket without more companionship. But Sledge has a surprise for her. He calls in Wrench who has built Poisandra a new friend out of old monster parts.

Meet Curio!

Poisandra is very excited.

Down at the park, Chase is helping Koda learn how to ride a bike. But he’s having a lot of trouble. Actually, Koda’s been having trouble with a lot of things. Like TVs and combs and glass.

Chase says it’s okay. Koda has nothing to worry about. Except to look good for the ladies who are walking by right at this moment. But the moment is broken when Koda is startled by the sprinklers.

Koda questions why the blue Energem would even choose him. But suddenly, Slammer appears with his cages. Koda manages to duck out of the way, but it’s too late for Chase.

Slammer tries capturing Koda too, but he kicks the cage out of the way and grabs a shovel. He tries to fight Slammer, but he gets eventually gets knocked down the stairs. Koda gets back up on his feet, but a kid comes riding by on his bike. Koda shields him, but they both get caged.

They are transported into some kind of cave where Chase already is. He says he tried morphing, but can’t.

The cage landed on the bike, so Koda and the boy can crawl out. The little boy, Peter, thinks his leg is broken. Koda lights a fire and fashions a brace onto Peter’s leg. Chase unsuccessfully tries using the Dino Com to call the others.

Koda picks Peter up and follows the wind blowing the fire of the torch to find a way out.

Kendall meets the others at the museum cafe and tells them Koda and Chase are late. She suggests Riley and Tyler take the Dino Cycles out to look for them.

Koda tells Peter that he promises to protect him and they continue through the caves as Slammer is hot on their heels.

Peter hands Koda his cell phone and says the GPS might still work. He shows him how it works.

Tyler and Kendall both see a magnetic field near the mountains on their scanners and they believe that is where Koda and Chase are.

Koda and Peter make it to the opening and hurry out just as the others meet them outside. Koda hands Peter over to Kendall so she can get him to the hospital.

Slammer appears and hurls his cage at them, but Koda grabs it and tosses it aside, taking Slammer down with it.

The Rangers morph and they fight off the newly arrive Vivix before taking on Slammer with their Dino Cycles.

Sledge orders a Vivix to fire the Magna Beam and Slammer embiggens before the Rangers can go in to save Chase.

They initiate the TriStega Megazord formation, but Tyler says it’s also time for Riley to try out his zord.

Riley summons his Raptor zord and combines with the Megazord for the StegaRaptor formation. The disconnected Tricera, meanwhile, drills into the mountain to free Chase.

The Rangers finish Slammer off with a Raptor Zord Final Flame Strike.

Later, the Rangers drive Koda to see Peter who is telling his friends all about his new friend. Koda brings him his bicycle and Peter hugs him.

Peter offers to help Koda learn how to ride a bike. Koda says it’s a bit scary for him, but Peter says not to worry, “once you learn it’s easy-peasy.”

“I’ll protect you, I promise.”

Koda remembers his little brother and he agrees to let Peter teach him.

Episode Thoughts

Wow. Another great episode. Is this even possible?

It was definitely a great Koda-focus ep. All of the characters have been great so far, but I think Yoshi’s been doing an amazing job as Koda. Plus, you know he’s having fun and it shows. Very charming and likeable.

I do hope we get to see more of Koda basically watching the world go by for millions of years. That would be very interesting.

As is everyone else. Even Sledge and Co. Speaking of, woohoo! There’s Luckyuro… I mean, Curio. Isn’t it amazing, seriously, how things have developed this season so far. Things don’t randomly pop out from thin air. (Well, except Keeper I guess, literally lol) But instead, characters have been introduced well, the weapons and powers have been introduced well. And even though we’re slowly getting the backstory on the Rangers, they still immediately had a positive first impression and impact.

That really is a huge change from the last four years. You can feel there’s actual effort being put into the show from everyone involved. I don’t know if that’s just an excited exaggeration on my part, but one thing’s for sure, I am enjoying Dino Charge very much. And if they continue like this, then it’s going to be a good season.

Meh at all that talking during the fight against Slammer and the Vivix. That was probably the most chatty they’ve been in four episodes while fighting. But, like I said, it’s minor when everything else is perfectly fine.

How different was Dino Charge fromZyuden Sentai Kyoryuger?
Corresponding episode – Brave 3: It’s Going to Get Wild! The Slashing Brave

It was absolutely different. Again, they took the Sentai footage and actually adapted it for Power Rangers. They used the footage, which was pretty minimal, such as the megazord footage (of course) and that morphed battle in the end, and crafted a brand new story around it.

Again, maybe out of necessity. (Thank you Toei!) But lots of original NZ footage is always good. And it’s NZ footage that actually matters to the story. Not some random scenes. They actually wrote something brand new and filmed scenes accordingly. SHOCKING right?

Just amazing all around. Dino Charge is off to a WILD start.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
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Also, check out the brand new Power Rangers Dino Charge store, also at Amazon!

Recap: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Episode 5 – Breaking Black

Not only is Chase on his phone while manning the grill, he even leaves it to go flirt with a girl. That’s definitely a no-no as the burgers burn up and almost cause a big fire.

He promises to pay more attention next… “Moana!”

Chase recognizes the woman, Moana, who walks into the cafe. She needs his help as she’s had a vision that someone will be stealing something very valuable from her shop. Chase explains to the others that Moana is a matakite, a Maori fortune teller from New Zealand.

Moana asks Chase to guard her shop for her. She knows he has special powers, referring to his Energem. He agrees to help.

They head to Moana’s shop. She reminds him to stay alert at all times. She’ll be back tomorrow.

Chase settles in, but eventually falls asleep. That’s when Spellbinder, another of Sledge’s furloughed prisoners, enters and takes some kind of pendant in hopes that he’ll be released.

Spellbinder’s laugh wakes Chase who demands he put the pendant back. But it’s too late. Spellbinder is already wearing it and uses it to send some kind of beam at Chase before running off.

Chase feels funny, but hops on his skateboard to try and chase after Spellbinder. He morphs along the way and follows the alien to a warehouse. They fight, but Chase is still feeling weird.

The others arrive, but just get thrown around. Chase aims at the pendant on Spellbinder, but Spellbinder uses Tyler as a shield.

But Chase’s weird feeling has him losing control over himself. He drops his morpher and Koda and Shelby help Tyler break free from Spellbinder. Riley shoots at Spellbinder who escapes.

While Spellbinder is able to plead his case to Sledge, everyone’s back at the command cave where Kendall shows the Rangers the new Dino Spike Charger which should be able to harness the power of all five of their Energems. But it takes all five Rangers to activate it.

Keeper is examining Chase and sees there is indeed something wrong. Chase feels like he is losing control of himself, but he remembers feeling okay when he got on his skateboard. Keeper says they need to find the origin of the pendant to find a way to break the spell before it grows even more.

The others decide to go ask Moana. Chase gets up, but Keeper tells him to stay put. Chase regrets not having stayed focused at the shop to allow Spellbinder to take the pendant.

Keeper says you can’t change the past, but you can learn from it.

At the shop, Moana finds info on the pendant. It was forged from an evil heart in a dark corner of New Zealand. They’ll need to destroy it or Chase will turn against them. Tyler tells her they have a weapon that can destroy it, but they need Chase.

Moana says if Chase can focus, he can push the spell out of his mind long enough for them to be able to use it. Riley and Shelby chuckle. Chase, focus?

But Moana tells them a story. Chase showed her long ago that he can focus even in the most dire of situations. One day as she was closing her shop, her stroller rolls off on its own. Chase hops on his skateboard and tries to go after it.

The stroller rolls all the way into the middle of the street as a huge truck comes right at it. Chase jumps, flips and grabs the blanket inside the stroller before the truck hits it.

Chase manages to return Tabitha… a cat, back to Moana.

Moana invites Chase into her shop to give him something for his bravery. For his courage, she hands him something very precious. The black Energem!

“So easy for him. I froze in glacier for thousands of years.”

Moana says when Chase is on his skateboard, he is able to clear his mind. Kendall calls the Rangers and tells them Spellbinder is back and that Chase is missing.

The four Rangers find Spellbinder with Wrench and Curio.

They try to fight them, but the Rangers get tossed around.

Spellbinder then hits the guys with the spell as Shelby hides behind a crate. Chase arrives and Spellbinder orders him to destroy her.

While the other guys are struggling, Shelby has to think quick. She rolls a dolly towards Chase who hops on like it’s a skateboard. That allows him to focus out of the spell long enough to use his morpher to directly hit the pendant.

They are all free of the spell and they morph.

They activate their Dino Steel and take care of Curio and Wrench before focusing on Spellbinder.

They use the Dino Spike Charger and Tyler unleashes a Dino Spike Final Strike.

Sledge activates his beam and Spellbinder embiggens. Chase calls on his Para Zord. Tyler suggests they combine their zords to form the Dino Charge Megazord ParaRaptor Formation.

And with a Para Zord Fireball Finish, the Rangers make Spellbinder extinct.

Up on the ship, Sledge is upset he basically threw 20,000 space bullion away with Spellbinder defeated. Wrench is sorting through Spellbinder’s body parts and Sledge sees the pendant is glowing. He tells Wrench to keep it, it might come in handy someday.

Back at the cafe, Moana apologizes to Chase for causing so much trouble. No worries, Chase says. At least he was able to show the others he can focus when he needs to. They hug.

“Until we meet again.”

Moana leaves. Koda comes to tell Chase that today is his day to clean the museum floor. Shelby says she’ll do it instead. The last time Chase had floor duty, he left halfway through.

But Chase says he’ll take care of it. He hops on his skateboard and rolls through the museum.

Wait a second, Shelby sees the clipboard Koda is holding and it turns out it’s his day to clean the floor.

Koda says maybe Chase should concentrate on schedules too.

Episode Thoughts

“You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it.”

Indeed! Thank you Keeper. We certainly can’t change Samurai or Megaforce, but let’s hope that everyone involved with Power Rangers has learned what not to do from those seasons as well as learn from successful seasons of the pre-Samurai past.

Like RPM for example. How about more babies in peril! lol That was hilarious, especially when it turns out not to be a human baby at all.

And also like Koda explaining how he was frozen in a glacier for thousands of years. That was a hanging question from his episode last week and they were able to explain that in just one, funny, line. That’s something that Megaforce definitely needed, but of course, we didn’t get it. (Say hello to the New Powers!!!)

This episode was pretty good overall. The spells and stuff were kinda meh, but Moana herself was great. And overall a solid look at pre-Ranger Chase.

The Dino Spike also got a good introduction. I wish we knew more about where Keeper goes when he doesn’t just pop out of nowhere.

How different was Dino Charge from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger?
Corresponding episode – Brave 4: Fire! The Gaburevolver of Courage

Another episode, another week to say how much I love how much NZ footage we’re getting. It really is like back in the Disney Era where we’d have almost entire episodes of original New Zealand-filmed scenes. Even if scripts were directly translated, they’d still film new scenes so things would flow better and things would actually fit with the Power Rangers characters and not the Sentai characters.

One example is seeing all those Kyoryuger scenes where Daigo is jumping around like a crazy person. That’s definitely not Tyler. But I guess that’s the trade off from all the original footage we got of Sledge’s ship and new scenes of Spellbinder, Wrench and Curio and those flying cat scenes.

It was great to see them take an episode where Ian has to deal with guilt over his friend’s death and turn it into an episode where Chase can’t focus on anything but girls or skateboarding.

This was also a better introduction to the Dino Spike than Kyoryuger as well as that whole “we need all 5″ teamwork theme.

Recap: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Episode 6 – The Tooth Hurts

While Riley is training and exercising at the local stadium, Poisandra is up on the ship tasting cakes for the wedding. She thinks the chocolate cake is absolutely divine, but it will absolutely not be her wedding cake. She tosses all the cakes into the trash and Curio jumps in after them.

Poisandra tells chef Cavity that she wants an awful, disgusting cake so the guests will remember her wedding for a long time. No problem. He brings her a cake of tooth decay.

She is very excited. Fury comes in and scoffs at Poisandra setting prisoners free to bake her cakes for a wedding that’s a waste of time. She offers a slice for him to try and he’s not one to turn down a nice piece of cake. But…

“Owww! My teeth!! What have you done, you pink bridezilla?!”

Sledge comes in and tells Cavity to bake the decay cake for the Rangers and to grab their Energems.

Riley is back at the command cave, but still training, this time with tennis balls. But he is distracted by Chase who’s just lounging around. Chase says Riley’s been practicing the same sword moves over and over. Riley says he has a reason.

When Fury attacked him to get the Green Energem, he couldn’t keep up. So he wants to be ready the next time they meet. Chase says they both want to defeat Fury, but instead of anticipating the same attack, he should just use his instincts next time.

Riley does not appreciate getting training advice from someone who doesn’t even train. Chase says just because they train a different way, doesn’t mean he doesn’t train. He leaves in a huff.

The Rangers are at the Dino Bite Cafe. While the guys are talking about possibly finding the Gold Energem, Shelby is serving people some free cake samples she happens to see on the counter.

She brings some to the guys, but Riley slaps down Tyler’s piece before he eats it. Chase tells him to chill out, but Riley points to every single customer in the cafe whose teeth are hurting. The Rangers must have missed the strange looking chef in the kitchen.

The Rangers split up to try and chase after Cavity. Riley and Chase find him out back and they morph.

“Out of the frying pan and into the firing zone.”

They corner him, but Cavity shoots at a tree and it decays. A very excited Tyler arrives to help, but has to deal with Vivixeses first.

Riley says he’ll take care of Cavity.

“Be my guest. Let’s just hope he shoots tennis balls at you.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?”

Riley and Chase argue and Cavity takes his shot. He knocks them aside and escapes.

Shelby and Koda arrive. Riley tells Chase he needs to quit messing around. He runs off. Chase tells them Riley just doesn’t get him.

Back at Dino Bite, Riley and Kendall are studying the half-eaten cake slices to figure out if the poison is in the frosting or cake itself and how to find an antidote. But when their backs are turned, Chase throws all the cake slices into the trash.

They argue and Kendall tells them to leave and sort this out.

While Chase hops on his skateboard, Riley heads back to the command cave to train some more. Keeper pops in and tells Riley that his anger dulls his skill. He asks what’s distracting Riley and gets him to open up.

Riley says Chase doesn’t take anything seriously. But Keeper says they both have sincere intentions, yet Riley judges Chase’s approach.

“Tell me this Riley. Is it not possible that two different paths can lead to the same destination? Maybe you and Chase are not as different as you think.”

Across town, Poisandra and Curio are shocked when Cavity rips off his chef’s clothes and pledges allegiance only to Sledge.

Chase is skateboarding through downtown looking for Cavity when he finds him rampaging. He calls the others and Riley is the first to hear, surprised it was Chase that found Cavity when he thought he was just off on his board.

“I could smell your decay a mile away.”
“Just a mile?!”

Chase morphs, but Cavity hits him with some decay and he demorphs.

But before Cavity can finish him off, Riley arrives to save him. Chase tries to help fight, but Riley says he’ll protect him. Riley tries to apologize, but Chase says it’s fine.

The others arrive to help as well.

“Even when we do things differently, we fight for the same thing.”

The Rangers morph. They first fight off Vivix before turning their attention to Cavity. Tyler, Shelby and Koda’s shots at Cavity’s teeth ricochet back to them.

Riley suggests using Chase’s Para Charger in his Dino Saber. He tries it and manages to smash all of Cavity’s rotten teeth. Riley then tosses Chase his Raptor Charger to use too. And Chase finishes Cavity’s first life.

Cavity embiggens so the Tyler, Shelby and Koda hop into the Megazord. But Cavity’s attacks are too much for them. Riley and Chase want to help, so they tell Tyler to use the Dino Blaze Charger to give them time to hop into the Megazord too.

They use the Stego Saber to finish Cavity off for good.

Later, Chase comes to the stadium to join Riley for a run. While Chase puts his shoes on, Riley apologizes for having wrong assumptions. It’s just he too had people assume wrong about him back home as well.

But Chase didn’t hear a single word of Riley pouring his hear out since he had his earbuds on.

The others also come to train with Riley. Riley says there’s only one rule… No rules.

Cool then!

The Rangers start parkour-ing it.

Episode Thoughts

I thought it was an okay episode. I do like the character stuff with Riley and Chase and it was a fine, if not typical Power Rangers story. Though I think it would’ve been better if this episode didn’t happen right after another entire episode of everyone doubting Chase already.

Riley’s “everyone used to make assumptions about me, mostly wrong ones” felt too tacked on at the end and could’ve used maybe a few extra lines earlier in the episode to make this a really great Riley-focus episode instead. The way it played out, it could be interpreted a whole number of ways, not the least of which being something that fuels homoerotic fanfics and shippers out there. lol

The Poisandra, Curio and Cavity stuff was fun. Though I guess they’re making Curio a huge buffoon who dumpster dives for cakey instead of a cute, precocious little kid. I don’t know how I feel about that even though that cake diving moment was hilariously random. And I still love seeing all that original ship footage.

Lots of great, legitimately funny quotes.

And I especially loved Keeper’s great pep talk. We need more Keeper.

How different was Dino Charge from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger?
Corresponding episode – Brave 5: Boom! The Cavities of Ankydon

Watching the Kyoryuger episode again, I completely forgot this was the episode we first meet Ramirez and Ankydon. Now while I liked this Dino Charge episode well enough, I think I enjoyed the Kyoryuger episode a little more. If only for Ramirez. Should be interesting to see how they’ll introduce Ankydon in the future.

Also, I did wonder what that sudden surge of energy was through Cavity in that one scene with Poisandra and Curio. It made sense in Kyoryuger, but the context was completely gone in Dino Charge. They could’ve used a little more exposition there too.

So I guess this is the first episode where they didn’t use the Kyoryuger footage as seamlessly as they’ve been doing the last five weeks. Still much better than Samurai or Megaforce of course, but definitely could’ve been a really great episode with just a few more tweaks.