I'm going to preface this by stating the fact that I hadn't seen much in the American Power Rangers franchise since they went into space. I caught a few episodes from various series, but that's about the extent of my first hand experience. I'll most likely miss out on references to the older material. I'd also like to mention that I never got around to watching GoGoV either, so this is practically new territory for me. I'm going to approach this as positively as I can (I can't promise that means much) and start by saying that the concept of the Rangers being a rescue team is interesting, as is having a secret base underwater. It's an interesting foundation that doesn't need much to work well. I'm also not a huge fan of the suits; they're fairly bland.

01 - Operation Lightspeed

-Though I knew that the early Saban series was shot on an incredibly low-budget, the series' cold-open looked pathetic. If this is indicative of the show's production value, put me out of my misery. The featured extras, that play nomads, are unconvincing. It looks like I'll have to lower my expectations down so that I don't cringe at every moment.

-The start of the first act involves Dana, Cpt. Mitchell's daughter, walking in on a meeting. There clearly isn't any rank and file system in this organization... it doesn't seem very proper to me. If that's the case, why does Mitchell dress like a Navy man? Better yet... why does he sport such a sloppy haircut? Here's another question... is that scar real?

Dana: nod
Mitchell: nod
Dana: Father, they've escaped.
Mitchell: You sure?
Cut to: Safe
Me: LOLz

-I'm not even 5 minutes into the show and this shit is doing on. First question: Why do they bother keeping a folder full of WalMart quality portraits as classified information that needs to be locked in a safe? Second question: How the eff do they know that the monsters escaped the sarcophagus? I'd like to add that even after finishing this episode, I still don't understand how LR was able to detect that the demons were set free. Based on how the story was told, it seems as if LR spawned from the actions of the ancient warlock. If an organization truly was created for the purpose of battling the inevitable release of these demons, then how the hell did they know that the warlock trapped them in the first place? The warlock's corpse was still in that tomb and covered in cobwebs. He probably didn't move a muscle after he made the seal. Also, how did this dude suck the monsters away from California into Egypt? Lastly, why didn't LR set up some bad ass security protocols to prevent wandering nomads from entering this sacred area? Do you guys understand my line of reasoning here?

-Speaking of sarcophagus... I find it so cliche that this is another story that starts off with an unsuspecting person opening a box filled with baddies. I also find it amazing that these spirits attack the outskirts of a metropolitan "American" city instead of causing terror throughout Egypt.

-After the teenagers are briefed with the history lesson, they watch footage of innocent civilians get cement blocks dropped on them. Why would Mitchell waste anyone's time and bust out the member's dossiers? That isn't going to convince anyone into risking their lives to fight unworldly monsters. And for an organization that works out of Cobra's underwater base, why aren't they retaliating with a counter-attack? I'm surprised this organization hasn't sent out any sort of relief aid against the beasts. Instead, the important people just sit around and chat.

-Surprisingly this show has original in-suit fighting scenes. There wasn't a single piece of Japanese suit footage used this entire episode. The choreography wasn't anything to write home about, except that Koichi Sakamoto has come a long way since then. Either way, I'm sad that the American suits are not as metallic as the Japanese ones... The American stuntmen also look too chubby compared to their Japanese brothers.

-Like the latter half of Garo: Makai Senki, this show seems ridden with one of my biggest tv trope pet peeves. I absolutely hate it when the director spends time on an actor tightening their mouths, only to nod in order to signify that they understand what needs to be done. This is a huge a waste of time, especially when everyone reacts the same way. This could all be done through smart writing, and this show definitely lacks that. The writing, in general, is piss poor. The acting is also unbearable! How the hell did we watch this stuff growing up?

-One note I'd like to see touched upon is what the source of the Rangers' power is. If it's something that LR created themselves, why not mass produce the tech? It seems like there are a ton of workers that have nothing to do but sit around and wait.

02 - Lightspeed Teamwork

-This episode's cold-open revolves around Diabolico and his minions. The Battlebeast one shares that the LR secret base is underwater; not so secret is it? Luckily, water apparently does "something" to the beasts. I'd also like to remind people that these monsters were trapped in the middle of the desert... it probably would have been a better idea to dunk that tomb in a pool of water eh? Lastly, what is the point of that dumb looking dragon baby?

-The original MMPR teens used to wear color coordinated outfits. This season, the teenagers wear the exact same clothes in each episode. Did the costume designer just give up? Was there even a costume designer on set? I just hope that these guys aren't stuck with the same outfits throughout the entire run. I'm surprised that there aren't any uniforms worn on deck... at all. The entire crew seems super chill.

-During this episode, we meet Ms. Fairweather... she tells the gang that Diabolico will stop at nothing to destroy Mariner City. Maybe the dude just wants his land back. He did have a palace there right? He was probably minding his own business until some human came around and trapped them in the desert. Are the people completely innocent for building a city on top of what essentially is an Indian burial ground? Shoot, maybe Diabolico is the good guy here.

-As an Asian male, I'm always critical on fellow Asian Americans. We're only two episodes in, and I'm beginning to think that Chad is complete tool. Though he shows off some wicket, suit-less, martial arts, he's an idiot. When it comes time to using the Rail Rescues, he's the only one that expressed any doubt? What a putz. They had special suits and weapons not too long ago. What are you afraid of? Also, this week's baddie did nothing but show up as a giant. I'm sure his human-sized footage contains way too much Japan.

-Rail Rescue's reveal sure made me nostalgic for the old stuff. I miss the days when these scenes were done with physical props instead of cg renders. Then it just shocked me that the Rangers were willing to make so much collateral damage in order to save three Japanese kids in an elevator. You'd think that the best course of action is to stop the monster before tending three insignificant ants. Instead, the Rangers spend so much time turning their Zords into a walking water cannon. It's great that the combination sequence was interrupted, but the Megazord's just throws the MotW as its finisher?

-After watching this episode, I don't know what the point of Joel's story is. He doesn't do anything to compromise the team at all, unless you count him playing hooky on a meeting to get flowers as a problem. There wasn't anything worth putting focus on, making this a filler episode. Besides the introduction of the Megazord and Ms. Fairweather, there wasn't anything here that drove the plot.

03 - Trial by Fire

-This episode's cold-open begins with the Power Rangers crew getting ready to train for... being in shape? You'd think that they'd do Ranger specific exercises and leave this civilian crap to the support crew. Unfortunately, they don't have one... so it's up to five teenagers to save thousands of lives. For Carter's episode, he's the focus of this training exercise. In my eyes, the scene where Carter shoots the edges of the door, looks like it was done on purpose based on how the scene was shot. We know he did it on accident, so why did the director choose to put focus on certain story-telling mechanisms when it portrays something entirely different? This show is done by amateurs. Either way, I don't think Mitchell's reaction to this small error should be as erratic as it was. Carter just missed two shots... He's a fireman, not a sniper. But wait... let me guess... if the writers didn't want to be predictable, then this wouldn't be a point of conflict by the final act of the episode right?

-By now, we've seen the monsters hanging out inside something that looks like a palace. Where exactly is this located? If they have this area locked down, then why bother branching out for more space? Not cool.

-When Carter decides to narrate his past, he uncomfortably grabs the injured kid's hand. Who thought that this would look natural at all. The Red Ranger's origin story is too bizarre for me. Follow along with me for a moment. 1) Carter wakes up, and his apartment is on fire. 2) Instead of running for the door (which is clearly not on fire), he just collapses. Okay, fine. 3) Fireman runs in and holds a collapsing beam for Carter to run through. 4) Once Carter makes it to safety, the mysterious fireman just stands there and takes his mask off? Uhmm okay, so he's like 15 feet away from the door... come on! The beam he held up disappeared, and there wasn't even a simulated ceiling collapse. The door just closed as the camera panned out.

-To tie into the beginning of the episode, Carter sees that he shot a flammable canister and realizes the error of his ways. How he put this and the earlier incident together still alludes me. He much be part of Mensa. Carter rushes to the garage on a hunch and finds a few canisters of "flammable liquid" under a folded up Furnie blanket (lol). 1) Why didn't Lightspeed Rescue clear this stuff out after the incident? 2) What is this stuff doing in a civilian garage in the first place? 3) Why's that label stuck on the barrel so poorly? 4) Why does Mitchell emerge from behind a pillar to give Carter a lecture? 5) Was this episode was written by a fifteen year old?

-During the tail end of the episode, Carter has a strange bonding moment with the injured kid. I probably didn't think much of these types of scenes in the 90's... but seeing them now makes me get the heeby jeebies. I felt even stranger feelings when Cpt. Mitchell emerged in the hallway with a creepy ass smile.

-Individually, the Zords don't really do much for me. The Megazord is even worse. It's one ugly robot, and its stretchy arms are a lame ability.

-During this episode, Carter learns that he should assess every situation and not be hasty; this will make him a better Ranger according to Mitchell. This sort of development should have been written for someone like Chad instead. Granted Carter had zero personality before this episode, he is still a fireman at heart. I'm sure he was very considerate of his surroundings. We were introduced to him as being the daring guy that would jump out of a window to save a girl.

04 - Riding the Edge

-If Saban insists that the Rangers have to be multicultural… why is the Mariner City surrounded by nothing but white people? Though the extra that pulled the Nancy out of traffic is an Asian, everyone else is just white. Also, what kind of idiot let's a dog that run loose while they tie their shoes? Nancy is an astronaut and the Dog was not even a foot away from her. I'm sure this situation would not have happened at all in real life. Either way, Kelsey saves the dog and causes a car to spin out. Behind her, a truck drives on (despite there being a car blocking his way) and then Kelsey Fast and Furious' her way under the trailer. Traffic should have stopped by now. I'd like to note that the actress did an awesome job when she stumbled on the sidewalk. I honestly hope she nailed it in one take because that was too close to actually falling. I'd also like to note that she has a foiiiine bootay! It must be the power of rollerblading.

-I may be looking too deeply into this episode, but this story that happened to Kelsey should have happened to someone else. This situation seems catered to a male character, unless they're hinting at Nancy being a lesbian. Her and Kelsey got along a little too well.

-While I understand that the Rail Rescue trains are faster than speeding bullet trains, I cannot grasp the amount of time it takes to deploy them. The world moves at a snails pace, and I'm surprised the falling space shuttle didn't crash.

-Besides the episode focusing on Kelsey, there wasn't much character development. We are more aware of what kind of person she is, but she doesn't go through any developmental arc herself. Even Joel and Carter's episodes had a little bit of growth in them.

05 - A Matter of Time

-Mitchell sends his daughter off to drive an old dude around while the rest of the Rangers escort the fuel cell. This Sealab really must be empty. This is an odd way to put focus on Dana, but I have a feeling that this is episode is going to try and pull an Ocean's Eleven on the audience. This setup screams "classic" switcheroo. For the record, I'm going to kick someone if I have to hear Dana calls her dad "Father" one more time. She is such a stale actor, I can't stand it. Mitchell's actor is campy, but Dana's is just grating... and it's unfortunate that this entire episode revolves around her.

-Besides the writer's incessant need to tell cliche stories, I seriously don't know why Dana just wasn't pulled aside and get in on the true mission. Knowing that this old shill carried the fuel cell wouldn't have changed the outcome of their ploy. But instead, we needed to see the daughter rebel against her "over protective" dad and prove that she is worthy of the job. Yeah yeah yeah... whatever.

Oh boy... after seeing the first five episodes... there really is a lot it must do to be worthy of this praise. That'll all happen right? RIGHT?

I will say that they didn't really do a good job with this (at least during the first 5 eps). The team looked competent together from the beginning and there didn't seem to be any conflicts at all.

Memorable? It didn't do anything but cause damage.

LOL, the lesbianism was the best part about the episode... Nancy is hot!

I agree. I love it when the mecha actually do stuff rather than just pop out of the ground and merge to become the Megazord. Though the credit goes more to GoGoV for this than PRLR.

This was definitely the worst episode of this bunch.

I don't know if they said anything by the end of the series, but we don't even know if it hurts them to begin with.

Huh? I just had absolutely no idea what cb1 was talking about.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

The things I do for you mang... the things I do... the music wasn't as good as the MMPR stuff either.

I got plenty of whine... not really feelin the cheese at all.

Well, just because we are not shown something doesn't mean it doesn't happen; Lightspeed's entire mission is dedicated to stopping these demons should they escape, hence it is reasonable to assume that they had some sort of sensing devices located at the tomb.

Except that Mariner Bay is "their" city, so that's where they want to go. Egypt doesn't hold anything that the demons want.

While I understand your line of reasoning here, we still need to have some exposition and start getting to know the characters. Also remember that theoretically they could turn down the assignment and leave, hence they need a briefing. Admittedly this scene is for the audience and not for the narrative, but I suspect that if we'd jumped straight into the fight without meeting the characters then folks would be complaining about that.

For the same reason that every single technology based super sentai and Power Rangers team didn't do it -- because that's how the story works. It's part and parcel of the genre as one of it's generic identifiers. That's like asking why a good guy wears a white hat in a Western.

More...

Eh, I see your point, but then we don't have a story. So we roll with it. And the point the dragon baby is that... he's a baby. I wonder if maybe the infant son of the Queen Demon who is still lost (pretty sure Diabolico says as much in this episode) might play some role down the way?

This had been established in Lost Galaxy, where with few exceptions the team always wore the same outfits. Part of it was explained as several members of the team wearing uniforms. It's become a trope in it's own right.

This is true; but, this is also a kids show so we're probably not going to get too involved with this line of thought, yes? /DeathsHead

Nope, he's gigantic all the time in Japan as well. It's his thing.

This is a GoGoV thing which is carried over. In GoGoV they are the "Rescue Soldiers," so the preservation of human life is what is most important. So getting the people out of harm's way is the most efficient way for the series to show us this. As for the toss... yeah, pretty silly, but a better finisher is coming soon, heh.

You answered your own question, dude.

More...

Well, training was something we had never seen Rangers do before this episode. Doing martial arts, sure, but organized Ranger training was a Totally New Concept (TM), one which further helps sell the concept of the team as not a magically appointed band of teenagers but a team of professional Rescue Soldiers. It's a training course; not every single piece of training that you do on the job translates 100% to your actual job functions. Clearly (from the fact that Mitchell is timing them and evaluating their performance enough to give them a score) this is an evaluation course moreso than a "Let's go learn how to be Power Rangers" exercise.

This one I will agree with you on, it's never really explained to my satisfaction (until close to the very end) just where the heck the demon's palace is. At least when the monsters were on the moon we knew that they were, ahem, ON THE MOON.

This scene is utilitarian more than anything else. It's certainly not elegant, that's for sure. But we get some more background on Carter and plant the seeds for future subplots (that's why the mask is coming off). Expecting subtlety out of a PR show from 2000 is a false expectation.

Different strokes for different folks, then. These Zords are about the only ones in this era that have any real character and do anything on their own other than "fly together and merge."

The difference being that as a fireman you normally are carrying weaponry and not actively trying to hurt and/or kill monsters. Its a different sort of skill set and Carter has to learn to do what he does in the context of the fight against the demons. Like I said, it's an evaluation. Clearly Mitchell and Lightspeed know that Carter has the right skillset they want to be Red Ranger but he has to translate those into the ones specific for this task.

More...

Emphasis mine. Agreed about the boooootay. I imagine when the costume designer told Sasha Williams that she would be wearing spandex shorts for the entire run of the series, she started working on her glutes. Anyways, is the scene unrealistic? Yeah, but this is a series about a team of superpowered young adults fighting demons with spandex suits and giant robots; realism is not a goal. I always thought this scene was well choreographed and directed, personally.

I know when this episode first aired, nearly the entire adult-aged PR community thought the same thing. It cannot be a coincidence, in my mind.

Again it's a super sentai trope. Things have to have their full, lovingly shot introduction, especially things which are being made into toys by Bandai.

No arguments here, this episode is weak and it has not aged well. It's also remarkably predictable, which doesn't help.

Well, I will say that's why they make 31 Flavors... because some of you like crappy ice cream. ;) I keed I keed. My praise for Lightspeed Rescue comes honestly. I really enjoy the show and have enjoyed it from when it first aired right up to rewatching it now. Your mileage may vary. From your description of yourself I am a bigger PR fan than you in the first place, and I am not typically a "savage critic" of the common Internet variety. So if you don't dig the show, that's cool, let's talk about it like we are doing here and have a discussion. :)

Mostly. We do get Joel trying to do what he thinks is right during the first Zord combination, but no, it's not really strong. Again the age is working against the show, because this sort of conflict was very rare prior to this, and more common afterwards.

Alright, this requires some Future Knoweldge. Magmavore was one of the few monsters to reappear in the series until the very end. He also was the only monster besides Diabolico to get a toy, and he appeared in all of the PR:LSR video games and supporting media. He also has a great look with the two heads.

True, but the writers embraced the meka stuff rather than downplaying it, too. I mean, this can be leveled at any PR series, that the meka owes itself to the corresponding super sentai. This stuff was groundbreaking. I know I keep coming back to that but remember you had 7 years of Zordon era, then the transitional year in Lost Galaxy, and then the "modern," "one season, one story" style starting here, so it was a huge change.

Again, future knowledge. There is an episode coming down the pike with some cyborg Rangers.

My bad.

I understand a lot of your criticisms, but we'll have to agree to disagree. I'll always dig this series, warts and all, especially over some of the exceptionally overrated series which came after it which constantly receive gushing praise.

01
That's fair to say... except I'm a firm believer of the "if it didn't happen on screen, it didn't happen at all" mantra. There could have been an alarm system of some kind, but you'd think that they would move the wizard's body, or even the tomb into... a lake?

True... but it's still a long journey. Why not stretch your muscles a bit and cause some damage. I was just pointing out how odd it was that the two locales were so far apart. Mariner Bay is in California... if they wanted these demons in a tomb, just throw them into Nevada.

I totally understand the need for this scene. I was just complaining about how an organization built on fighting these monsters (and even developing technology to battle them) doesn't do anything but just let 5 people do all the work. They seriously could have sent out firefighters, paramedics, etc to do something... instead of just watching downed civilians and taking their sweet ass time.

Bah, I'm aware of the trope... I'm just sputtering whatever is on my brain. If I was a writer on the show, I would have figured something else out to prevent people from asking the very same questions that I ask.

02
It's a writer's job to make it work.

Hmm space uniforms are one thing... but Kelsey wearing that training bra and yoga pants... Carter wearing the red shirt and blue jeans... it's kinda getting old (and a crappy cost-cutting procedure).

Bad joke :T

Good to know!

Hmm in GoGoV did they do a better job showing the audience how they evacuate the civilians from the buildings that are getting smashed up? I swear there were like 6 skyrises and countless other structions that got pulverized by the time the 3 kids were saved. I also hope you're not talking about that spin kick move... cause that move is laaaame.

I did :o

03
Fair assessment, but this is assuming that the organization isn't aware of their abilities. Something I can't believe considering their "extensive" bio for each member. Besides, I'd much rather watch people learn how to be Power Rangers than it being an automatic thing.

If it'll be revealed later down the road, I'll just ignore this for now.

Haha, agreed... professionally I work in the entertainment industry so I have a keen knack of criticizing things that aren't up to snuff. I'm typically very forgiving for shows in this genre (otherwise I'd be long gone), but I'm just poking fun at things that I normally wouldn't care about. Seriously though, writing and production are still big deals... so expecting things to make sense is a big deal for me. It doesn't matter if the show is for a kid or an adult, or what era it was made.

My memory is hazy, I'll have to get back with you on that... but you might have a point. The more I think about it, it does remind me of Daimos a bit though.

Perhaps, but that would nullify Mitchell's line at the end of the episode. I forget it off hand, but Mitchell began to fully believe in Carter now that he learned this lesson. The harming/killing monsters training is clearly an important exercise... but the concept of assessing the situation (which is what the entire episode was about) isn't about shooting bad guys. Putting out a fire or saving a kid has nothing to do with fighting demons. Thus as a story teller, the writer's intention was for us to see Carter just become aware of his surroundings. This is why I can't wrap my head around this episode... especially knowing that Carter was basically the best fireman on the force.

04
Like I said, there are some things we can forgive... and some things that are just lazy. This was a lazy mistake. Don't get me wrong, the scene was fun... continuity-wise... it doesn't work. If the director or script supervisor knew what they were doing, they would have stayed consistent. At least choreograph the scene using a different camera angle to show the actual action. But since we know that this is an ultra-low budget show... they clearly don't care. I feel like they're just phoning it in most times.

:rock:

Yeah... but that's not entirely true. MMPR repeatedly reused the longer stock footage from Zyuranger when it came to DaiZyuJin's intro. Zyuranger took things on the fast track when they needed to. If the GoGoV episode took as much time during a shuttle crash, then I don't have anything to say. Either way, I'm just pointing out weird choices that Saban makes... not the original source material.

Oh of course... but I feel like interest usually is given for a reason. If you like this show as much as you do, there really much be something redeemable about it... and I will desperately hold to the end because I know that at least one person out there says that it's pretty good. If it isn't... whatever... I can say that I saw the series from start to finish. But yah, I loved MMPR growing up, but as an adult it's merely nostalgia. Super Sentai all the way :D Also, the savage critic part I can't shake... especially when it comes to media (it's my job).

I did like that bit when he tried to do his own thing, but the overall arc was very weak. I see what points they're trying to make, but the writing is severely stale. Things could have been much more dramatic (but I'm also not taking into account the amount of footage that they have to work around).

CANNOT UNSEE!!!!

Of course, don't worry... I respect that everyone has their own opinions. I just like challenging things and asking questions. Besides, as of this moment, you're the resident PRLR guru... I'd expect you to correct me from here on out. But yah, don't think I'm jabbing your opinions... keep on truckin

Magmavore Abides.
http://images.wikia.com/powerrangers..._Magmavore.jpg