Power Rangers 4.0 - Part 1

[BlackMagicWolf]

And once again.....Emma barely showing any enthusiasm......

 

[Primal Slayer]

I can only assume Saban made them dress in those colors.

But oh how do I wish we could stick with one cast for multiple seasons again instead of being forced to switch out.

 

[Raiden]

I can only assume Saban made them dress in those colors.

But oh how do I wish we could stick with one cast for multiple seasons again instead of being forced to switch out.

Super Sentai always get a new cast every year, so I don't think Saban can keep the same cast year after year. I'm surprised that Toei has let Saban kept the same cast for two consecutive years, quite frankly.

 

[Jostru]

I can only assume Saban made them dress in those colors.

But oh how do I wish we could stick with one cast for multiple seasons again instead of being forced to switch out.

Same here. Every season we get new characters played by actors who aren't all that good, frankly. They all improve, however, but by the time all their performances are watchable, they "have to" leave the show again.

Not to mention the character development that's possible. For me, the best example is Billy. By having him on the show for 4 seasons, you got some great development. He went from a geek who nobody understood and couldn't fight to a strong ranger who showed some pretty decent leadership skills at the end of MMPR. Had he not left the show so sudden in ZEO, I'm sure he could've turned into a great mentor for the future rangers.

To give a character that much development is very hard when you get only 40 episodes and have to divide the attention between 5 or even 6 rangers.

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

to be fair, a lot of series don't make it to 40 episodes. If you write it well, you can cover a lot of story in forty episodes.

 

[Gold Samurai]

Is Nickelodeon worried celebrities will steal things that they have to have see through purses?

 

[Tristan_McClark]

Met Jason David Frank at Megacon 2 weeks ago. Had a Meet and Greet where it was a few of us and we sat around and conversed for about an hour. Really awesome guy!

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

I know right?!?! I met him last year at C2E2, he was great at his panel, answered every question, cracked jokes, told inside stories. He was amazing! And he was a trooper as well, cause that weekend he lost his brother, but he still came every day.

JDF is awesome!

 

[universeman]

New clip from the new episode

Spoiler

[YT]WfcnzZkk8pY[/YT]

 

[JabarR]

Ciara Hanna/Gia was in last week's special episode of Sam & Cat

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=534650033314458

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

Wow....that's.......wow.

 

[Young Superman]

She's Awesome.

 

[DigificWriter]

I'm working my way through Lightspeed Rescue right now, and figured I'd post my episode-by-episode reviews here.

Operation Lightspeed/Lightspeed Teamwork
I've actually seen these two episodes several times before, but no matter how many times I see them, I'm struck by how well they're paced and structured. They feel much more dramatic than is typical for the franchise, which lends itself well to the stories they tell. I also love the subplot in Lightspeed Teamwork involving Joel, as it's a great way to showcase a bit of his character and personality but without overwhelming the rest of the narrative.

I also really like the way the Rangers use their Zords separately and in tandem in Lightspeed Teamwork before forming the Lightspeed Megazord for the first time because it allows the writers to really emphasize the 'Rescue' motif of the season and gives the fight with the monster a more 'grown-up' and realistic feel that is reminiscent of the first Turbo Megazord fight in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.

Trial by Fire
Although we've seen other episodes of its type before and since, Trial by Fire is IMO, the episode to use the 'Ranger doubts themselves' trope most effectively, giving us a great character study for Carter and an episode that, structurally and narratively, could've easily happened in a more 'mainstream' drama.

I also liked getting to see Vypra in action as the one driving the conflict narrative and enjoyed the seeds being planted for a rivalry of sorts between her and Carter.

Speaking of Vypra, I was kind of taken off guard - even though I've seen the episode a couple of times before - by just how closely her costume skirts the line between 'appropriate for a kid's show' and ' too risque'; I still really like the costume, but was somewhat surprised they were able to get away with making it the way they did.

The only complaint I have is that they rushed the Megazord transformation, but I'm only citing it as a complaint because I really enjoyed the more drawn-out transformation sequence from Lightspeed Teamwork.

Riding the Edge
I don't really understand where the title of this ep comes from, but I liked it anyways.

Kelsey is the only one of the Rangers who didn't really have an occupation before Mitchell recruited them, and so this episode is really our first chance to see - in full - what she brings to the team, and I liked that her fearless adrenaline-junky attitude found practical application in this episode, first in her first run-in with Nancy and then in the effort to save Nancy and her fellow shuttle pilot.

It's become kind of fashionable for fans to joke about some of the Samurai and Megaforce characters having homosexual tendencies, but I have to say that there's definitely more than a bit of intentional 'hinting' happening in this episode with Kelsey and Nancy, at least on Kelsey's end (even though I don't think it goes anywhere) which is kind of a big deal given that we know the behind-the-scenes environment on the franchise just a few years earlier wasn't too LGBT-friendly, so I have to give somebody on the writing staff credit for tackling the issue even in a subtle and one-off fashion.

A Matter of Trust
As I mentioned up-thread, this was the first Lightspeed Rescue episode I ever saw, and remains one of my favorites out of those episodes that I have previously seen.

The plot is fairly standard fare, but what makes it stand out for me is the character focus on Dana and the way it doesn't give away the 'twist' until fairly late in the story.

Alyson MacInnis does a really good job of selling Dana's indignance at being handed what she thinks is basically a 'milk run' assignment, as well as the realization that she was wrong in what she said to him and that he trusted her more than she knew. Her performance in this ep really helps elevate the story from standard generic fare and really helps you connect with Dana as a character.

Ron Rogge also does a great job of playing the 'straight-man' in the episode (just as he did in Trial by Fire), and the scene where Mitchell tells Dana that she doesn't need to question her worthiness for the job of being a Ranger yet also connects with her on a fatherly level is really powerful, especially in light of some of the revelations that are still yet to come story-wise for both him and Dana.

Wheels of Destruction
I don't see this as being a particularly popular opinion, but I happen to think Vypra is one of the strongest of Lightspeed Rescue's villains, not just in practical terms, but in terms of characterization and role, and this episode provides a good example of why.

It was a good decision by the writers to start the episode off 'in media res' because it gave Vypra a chance to come out swinging against the Rangers and provided a nice change of pace in terms of the traditional PR episode formula and an impetus for Miss Fairweather to do her tech thing.

I may not have seen all of the season prior to starting this watch-through, but was aware of what happens with Joel and Miss F, which adds a nice little layer to this episode's continuation of his interest in her and adds some nice subtle humor and irony to the scene at the very end of the episode where Dana calls her out on the fact that she rebuffed Joel's advances by making up a bogus regulation.

Up to the Challenge
Of the season's early character focus episodes, this one is the weakest and the one that feels the most rushed, but there's still enough substance to it to offset those negatives.... for the most part, anyway.

I liked the concept of Chad and Kelsey being friends, as their personalities seem like they'd mesh well based on what we've seen in previous episodes, especially in light of the idea that Kelsey 'bats for the other team', as it were, and the idea that he'd drag her to come practice Tai Chi with him adds some nice layers to both of their personalities. I also liked that it fed directly into the story of the episode.

Speaking of said story, I liked the concept of somebody aligning themselves with Vypra out of a desire to get one up on Chad, but the execution fell a little flat because there was no build-up to the idea being introduced.

With the Lightspeed Cycles just having been introduced in Wheels of Destruction, it makes more sense for this episode to be watched as an immediate follow-up, which is what I would recommend for first-time watchers or anybody who wants to rewatch the season.

Cyborg Rangers
I really liked the 'in media res' nature of the episode's teaser, and thought it made for a nice story set-up and introduction to the eponymous Cyborg Rangers, who I thought were actually kind of neat.

General McKnight comes off as a real *****ebag, but it works because of the context and because he's SUPPOSED to come off as a *****ebag, which makes his reaction when the Cyborg Rangers go haywire all the more neat and satisfying.

There were some parts of the episode that felt slightly rushed, but, overall, I really liked the story and the way it highlighted all of the characters. I particularly liked the Rangers' reactions to McKnight dismissing them from their Ranger duties and the nice detail of Joel and Kelsey being the ones to object to getting involved even without their Morphers.

When I started this batch of reviews, my feeling was that this episode and Up to the Challenge ought to be flip-flopped in story order, but as I was typing things up, I came to a different conclusion, which is that the episode actually makes more sense if it happens prior to the introduction of the Lightspeed Cycles in Wheels of Destruction, which would place it following A Matter of Trust.

Go Volcanic/Rising from the Ashes
I really liked these two eps, which constitute the season's first official two-part story arc.

I liked that Go Volcanic was largely Dana-centric, and the subplot involving the bus reminded me of the 'A' story from the Defiance Season 1 episode The Serpent's Egg. I also really liked Tri-Fire.

Rising from the Ashes was a nice follow-up to GV and, peripherally, A Matter of Trust, and I liked that after 7 or 8 episodes of talking about it, the episode finally had Queen Bansheera return, even briefly. Her ephemeral design was kind of freaky, and a nice call-back of sorts to the other demons' ephemeral forms as seen in Operation Lightspeed.

I also liked that RftA was our first 'focus ep' for Miss Fairweather and that it introduced us to the Supertrain Megazord while also continuing to play with the subplot of Joel's attraction to her and the hijinks associated with her trying to pretend that she's not interested in him.

From Deep in the Shadows/Truth Discovered
As I mentioned earlier, these episodes - along with Ryan's Destiny, Curse of the Cobra, Strength of the Sun, and The Cobra Strikes - had previously constituted the bulk of my Lightspeed Rescue homeownership (I had seen other episodes as well, but these 6 were the most pivotal in terms of the season's overall storyline),and, in rewatching them, I found even more reasons to enjoy them than before.

This hadn't really occurred to me in previous viewings for some reason, but there's a very strong symmetry between these episodes - as well as the Titanium arc in general - and the Andros/Astronema (Karone) storyline from PRiS, particularly the episodes Never Stop Searching, Flashes of Darkonda, and The Secret of the Locket.

The parallels are particularly strong in Truth Discovered, which not only does a great job of continuing the events of From Deep in the Shadows (which has the kind of dramatic action storytelling that you'd find in more mainstream fare) but also offers its own compelling story that could've very easily functioned on its own without the typical franchise formula staples that were incorporated into it.

I also really liked the individual scenes between Dana and Captain Mitchell in both episodes, particularly their scene in Truth Discovered where she tells him he could've told her the truth about Ryan's fate (more on that in a second), which was a nice callback of sorts to their conversation at the conclusion of A Matter of Trust.

There are a couple of logic flaws in the episodes (namely why Dana wouldn't have remembered the truth of events even though she was clearly old enough to, and how/why Diabolico was free of imprisonment) and a rather glaring editing goof (Ryan clearly has the Titanium Morpher on his wrist in the episode's final scene of Truth Discovered despite having taken it off in the previous scene), but, overall, they're both really good episodes that help to kickstart what I think is one of the franchise's better multi-part story arcs and is certainly one of the best arcs of Lightspeed Rescue as a whole.

Ryan's Destiny[/U]
Despite having previously said that the Titanium Ranger arc made up the bulk of my previous experience with the season, it turns out that Ryan's Destiny is an episode that I actually hadn't seen before.

The first thing that came to mind as I was watching the episode is how very similar it is to the PRiS episodes Astronema Thinks Twice and Zhane's Destiny and to the PRNS episode Return of Thunder, Part 4 in its structure and storyline.

This episode continued a motif that has been present since A Matter of Trust by having civilians play a key role in the plot of the episode, which, incidentally, is something that I find myself rather enjoying because it gives the season a unique flavor. I also really liked that it was the fact that he'd unwittingly put a couple of kids - who clearly reminded him of himself and Dana - in danger that caused Ryan to change his mind about leaving Mariner Bay and embrace being the Titanium Ranger and helping to fight against Diabolico.

Speaking of Diabolico, I really liked the motif of him having to prove himself to Bansheera because it added a new dynamic to his character and a sense of urgency and 'weight' to his actions.

Ryan's fight with Diabolico's 3 monsters (whose names I can't remember right now) was rather nice, although I would've liked to have seen him bust out the Titanium Laser instead of just simply knocking them around, as it would've made their retreat seem a tad more understandable.

Diabolico cursing Ryan in his sleep with the cobra tattoo made for a rather neat denouement to the episode, and a nice setup for Curse of the Cobra, and also helped to reiterate the idea that he and his fellow demons are in fact supernatural beings (as we really haven't seen a whole lot of that per se so far).

Curse of the Cobra
I know I had previously seen this episode, but it turns out that my memory of it was rather spotty, so rewatching it was a nice 'refresher'.

This episode was basically a reinterpretation of the PRiS episode The Silver Secret, with a tiny bit of influence from Dark Specter's Revenge tossed in for good measure, and made for a nice 'escalation' in terms of Diabolico and Co.'s fight against the Rangers.

I was really caught off guard by Carter almost blowing himself up in order to take out one of Diabolico's trio of monsters, but have to give the writers props for going there, especially since it helped to enhance the idea that Diabolico's curse really is a threat to Ryan's life rather than the show simply paying lip service to that idea, which is something I rather appreciated.

I really liked the ending scene with Carter, Ryan, and Captain Mitchell, especially with Carter confessing that he'd seen the tattoo on Ryan's back earlier in the episode. The conversation with Mitchell forbidding Ryan from morphing put me in mind of the relationship between Scott and Colonel Truman in RPM, which is kind of neat given how much I enjoy that season.

I'm not sure that the Megazord fight was really needed per se, but did like it, especially since we got to see the Lightspeed Megazord and Supertrain Megazord fight side-by-side.

This one has become my favorite of the Titanium Ranger episodes so far, and is one of the stronger 'sixth Ranger focus episodes' we've seen from the franchise so far.

Strength of the Sun
I hadn't really realized this until I watched this episode, but Ryan is one of the most strongly characterized Sixth Rangers in the franchise (although his overall storyline doesn't even come close to dethroning Merrick's as the absolute best in the show), and this episode is one of the key reasons why.

I really liked that he felt so strongly about helping protect Mariner Bay that he was willing to basically kill himself - literally - in order to help out, especially once it became apparent that his friends were on the verge of losing their own lives.

I really like Diabolico; he reminds me a great deal of Prince Gasket, Trakeena, and Imperious, a combination that actually makes him a rather formidable - and underrated - primary antagonist for the Rangers, and I rather enjoyed his machinations in terms of plotting to kill Impus (I would've liked to have seen him try, only for Bansheera's magic or something else to stop him rather than him simply backing off when Vypra and the others approached).

One of the things that I enjoyed most about Lost Galaxy (and which was largely absent in Time Force) was the proliferation of recurring minor antagonists, and so it was nice to see the motif return for the Titanium Ranger arc. Thunderon and Falkar don't have the most gregarious of personalities, but I did like that they managed to offer the Rangers a rather formidable challenge before being ultimately defeated by the Max Solarzord.

I also liked that Diabolico spoiled the Rangers' victory by revealing that Demoknight, Thunderon, and Falkar had survived in crystalline form.

The denouement with Ryan and Captain Mitchell was also great, and a rather nice callback to the final scene of A Matter of Trust between Dana and Captain Mitchell.

The Cobra Strikes
Because I had seen so little of Lightspeed Rescue overall, I didn't realize just how serialized the season truly was, but I have to say that, so far, it's been the most serialized of the Saban Entertainment seasons (even surpassing Lost Galaxy in that regard), which is rather neat.

I really enjoyed the numerous carry-overs from previous episodes that manifested themselves in this episode, but one in particular stood out for me: Ryan realizing that Diabolico had shown him where he needed to go in order to break the Cobra curse back in Ryan's Destiny when he transported him there in his dreams and put the Curse on him in the first place.

Ryan's fight with the Cobra monster was rather neat, and I liked the way he used his surroundings to help him prevail.

Ms. Fairweather is fast becoming one of my favorite 'Ranger helper' characters (the people who make it possible for the Rangers to do what they do), and is really starting to remind me a lot of Doctor K (albeit without K's psychological issues). Monica Louwrens does a really great job of making the character more than just the 'tech wizard', and I love the way she sort of casually mentioned the Battle Boosters (which I find to be rather cool).

I really liked that Diabolico didn't hesitate to take on the Rangers himself once they'd defeated his Troika monster, although it was kind of obvious from the very beginning that he wasn't going to emerge victorious even as he was kicking the royal crap out of both the Lightspeed Megazord and Max Solarzord.

I thought the Rangers' little victory party was a nice touch, especially since it was ruined by Bansheera showing up and introducing herself and her cocooned son Impus. It made for a pretty epic 'buzzkill' and a great way to end the episode (I especially liked Carter's reaction - "It's a drill, right?" - and Mitchell's response - "We don't have drills").

Olympius Ascends
Sorry Prince Gasket, but you're on the verge of being bumped out of my Top 10 Favorite PR Villains (primary only) by the awesomeness that is Prince Olympius.

Olympius Ascends had everything you could ask for in a character introduction/'turning point' episode, and then some. You had internal villain conflict (Vypra and Loki's sarcasm and false pandering countered with Jinxer's fawning servitude), rather brilliant strategic planning (Olympius using the forms of the captured Rangers to infiltrate the Aquabase), great interplay between the Rangers, and Carter being Carter (throwing himself and Olympius into the water).

Going back to Prince Olympius, I really like him, as I alluded to in opening this review. I love the character design, voice acting, and the way he briefly mopped the floor with the Rangers before having to beat a hasty and strategic retreat. I also liked the way the writers tossed in a tiny bit of foreshadowing by having him mention that he plans to give his mother her full bodily form once again.

 

[JabarR]

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

Lightspeed Rescue is one of my favorite Power Rangers season. I'm glad two of them are coming back in Super Megaforce!

 

[JabarR]

For those who are ready to see the "Legendary War" ep. in the Fall, here's a little 'somewhat' of a sneaky peek "Super Sentai" style of what's to come

[YT]tjAlH17WmcM[/YT]

 

[Young Superman]

Good episode today. Nice intro for the new Silver Ranger. Can't wait for next week.

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

Same here! Love that he's from a planet that's fallen to the armada. It really gives context to how powerful the armada really is (Prince aside). I also like how they tackled the lingering topic of "why don't they just send a bunch of X-Borgs to the planet and overwhelm them?" That's what I would do. And it might've worked if not for the Silver Ranger.

I too can't wait for next week!

Oh, and I'm glad they're cutting his hair (seen pics), cause when he took off his helmet....he looked like a girl.

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

Oh, and here's my review of the episode! I'll be starting these up again, hope I can chat with you about them!

http://www.followingthenerd.com/tv/...-power-rangers-super-megaforce-silver-lining/

 

[Young Superman]

Cool. Also I Ciara Hanna/Gia, she is awesome. I don't get why Christina/Emma gets more screen time then her?

 

[SpideyFan866]

So it recently leaked that Judd Lynn (Writer/Co-Producer 'Turbo' through 'Time Force'; Executive Producer on 'RPM') will be returning to executive produce Power Rangers: Dino Charge!

 

[Young Superman]

So it recently leaked that Judd Lynn (Writer/Co-Producer 'Turbo' through 'Time Force'; Executive Producer on 'RPM') will be returning to executive produce Power Rangers: Dino Charge!

Cool, I wish they would skip the Train Rangers thing and go straight to Dino Charge after Super Megaforce. Dino Charge looks way cooler then the trains stuff.

 

[SpideyFan866]

Cool, I wish they would skip the Train Rangers thing and go straight to Dino Charge after Super Megaforce. Dino Charge looks way cooler then the trains stuff.

The trains are AFTER Dino Charge.


Dino Charge is the next series.


Also, I've been watching ToQger, and it's actually a really cool concept. Works waaay better than I imagined.

 

[Czar Colossus]

I'm still hoping Go-Busters gets worked in somehow. I'm in the middle of watching this series and I'm enjoying it a lot. The toys are cool as well.

 

[Young Superman]

The trains are AFTER Dino Charge.


Dino Charge is the next series.

Woops, my bad.