Episode 9: Idol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NjCdUOVrfw

Today's' episode is actually Name's' favorite in SPD. So I decided to let him have the opening statement:

"Sky is the best damn ranger in this season and it's not even close. This man cherishes his friendships, accepts his failings, and always makes right what he's done wrong. There are no special provisions made for criminals, no matter who they are. So much so, in fact, that he'll even gun down his closest friend. Did I mention he's better than the best marksman SPD has ever seen at the academy? Because he is. This man is absolutely stone cold when justice is involved. Blue Centurion would be so proud of him. In fact, the only way Sky could possibly be better is if he got a combat knife! Actually, there's a thought...


This is peak SPD and if you don't like that you can kick rocks.

LOOK AT THAT INNER TURMOIL."

Okay, but I--

"KICK. ROCKS."

Ahem. Anyway. Today's' episode is one that I haven't seen anyone talk about very much in online circles, and I feel that's a major shame because it's all in all a really good one!

This one is written by David Garber and directed by Charlie Haskell, and I gotta say, this is hands down some of their best work! The shot composition is especially great all throughout the episode, featuring wonderful visual storytelling and some of the best transitions between original scenes and the Super Sentai stock footage ever seen in Power Rangers. And I do not say that at all lightly.

The film reel scene is especially good. While a one-off establishing Drew being a movie nut might've helped, the overall tone and atmosphere of the episode's' climax does more than enough to carry the entire thing, and that's ontop of how clever the editing is in both matching and transitioning into the Sentai footage. And it's not even like the TV magic is exclusive to hanging onto the Japanese side of things either, because that scene towards the end, where Grumm is seemingly monologuing to himself? Just aces all around in terms of dialogue, editing, and directing.

As for the writing, alot of the dialogue is surprisingly clever and helps to sell the visual metaphors being presented here. A rather underrated scene is the one where the group is spending lunch together; with everyone talking about Bridge's' dream that's straight out of a stock horror film. It serves as foreshadowing to what's going on with Drew, is a funny bit of character interaction on part of B-Squad, and helps to let the viewer in the metaphors that the episode is going for. It's the sort of thing that many tend to praise Kamen Rider for, you know?

But in the end this one is all about Sky, and more importantly his relationship with his best friend Drew. And you know Sky is fond of someone when he's doing his best to work the other way even when something clearly isn't right. And even when everything is out in the open, he still does his best to talk Drew down.

While maybe an extra scene or two of the two goofing off together might've been nice, the writing is tight enough to sell how close the bond between Sky and Drew actually is -- atleast on Sky's' end. Heck, according to Chris Violette, there was even a shower scene between the two that was filmed, but was left unused in the final cut. Interpret that information however you will.

Jack is no slouch in this episode either, with that old intuition of his coming immediately into play once Drew gives the story about the ship crashing down. And while it causes him and Sky to once again bump heads, Jack does still try to do right by Sky, even when it became more and more clear that Drew was guilty(heck, they don't even bother to use the Judgment scanner on him). And in a narrative sense, it also helps to show how in the end, Jack and Sky are growing closer together both as squad mates and as friends. While it might be seen as a minor fumble that Jack's' friendship with Z isn't brought up, I think the episode is doing its best to talk about male bonds, specifically.

While it isn't my personal favorite episode of Power Rangers SPD, "Idol" certainly is a great one, and it really makes me wonder what those who claim that "Power Rangers has no mature storylines or character development" think of episodes like this. It's mature, it's dramatic, and all around a great character piece for Sky. What more could you want?

How fitting that Z is the last letter of the Roman alphabet and Ω is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

Z joined SPD as she saw that it was her opportunity to make a big difference for persecuted people like herself, while also comfortably staying on the right side of the law. So she'd definitely get ticked off at someone like Bugglesworth presenting himself as a savior, like Jack to Z, while actually exploiting Sam's loneliness and encouraging cynicism towards other people to make him complicit in the abductions. It shows how some people can become criminals, when they lose faith in human kindness. But Z is a Ranger now, so she has the power to save Sam and put him back on the right path.

This explains why Doggie drafted Jack and Z in to the Rangers even though they had none of the formal SPD training that the others did. They were all basically destined to become Rangers since their childhood. Their parents' morality is left kind of ambiguous, but it certainly raises some questions about parental responsibility, especially with Jack and Z living on the streets until joining SPD in contrast to Syd who lived like a princess.

This is a very good read. Sam absolutely would've gone down a darker path if not for Z, just like how Z might've if not for Jack.

While it is indirect, it is interesting how this is one of the few Ranger seasons to have the parents of some of our heroes be less than ideal. And having it be different for every member of the team makes for good variety.

Episode 10: Stakeout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dboiEg_4DY

This episode marks the third time that Jack uses his civilian power.

It's also the one where he and Syd argue about the importance of birthdays, with both sides having a point.

The overall plot of this one is very straight-forward: Syd wants to take the day off for her birthday, but Jack tells her that duty calls, and the two are tasked with keeping watch over a scientist that an alien criminal is after.

So while there isn't a whole lot going on in this one in terms of events, the real heart of it all, like most Power Rangers stories, is in the character development and interactions. Jack and Syd are catty with one another all through the episode, but they're able to work through it in the end.

While Jack does have a point that public safety is more important than your average birthday, he also learns how important birthdays can actually be to people, especially given his own upbringing where as far as he knew, he didn't even have a birthday. And as Jack is one to do, he in the end does what he can to make right by those he hurts.

As for Syd, while she does have a stance that many people do; Wherein working on your birthday does suck, she also comes to see how some people don't have it nearly as good as she does, as well as seeing Jack's' point that as a Ranger, the well being of others comes first. In the end, both are able to reconcile, and Syd decides that, since Jack doesn't have a birthday of his own, she'll share hers with him from now on. It's a very sweet gesture.

While the rest of the cast is very much in the background of this one, they do still get some little moments that are nice. My personal favorite being during Syd's' birthday at the end, wherein Sky's' idea of "lightening up" is to unzip his jacket a little bit. It always gets a chuckle out of me.

Even though this episode is pretty simplistic compared to all of the ones that came before it, it still makes for a good time via the great showcasing of what happens when Jack and Syd, two people of entire different classes, are paired up together. And I'm overall happy with it.

Oh, and this episodes marks the very first time that we see the K-9 Cannon both explode and contain a criminal at the same time. So again, while it is a thing, the feature is by no means "every episode" as some like to claim.

Well don't forget. Just last episode Krueger absolutely grilled him on sticking to regulations. This poor man is being given conflicting messages.

I’ve got to question how Jack doesn’t know his birthday, but knew his parents were missionaries (who presumably “went missing” in the jungle) two episodes ago

Wow, that's unexpected and it would've been interesting to see that. But of course Disney wouldn't want to provoke the moral guardians, SMH.

Sometimes the new friends we meet can be better than the old friends we knew for a long time. Maybe Drew was a good person once, but at some point he went down a path of evil. Sky was clinging to unrequited sentimentality and rejecting Jack's (who he most hates losing to) doubts until he was forced to confront the truth. It's a dark episode with a depressing yet realistic moral, but I like how it ends with the happy note of Sky accepting Jack as his bud now.

That would imply those people have actually watched any episodes outside of MMPR.

I'm with Jack on this one. I mean, if he was forcing Syd to work on Christmas instead then no, screw that. But a birthday isn't a national holiday, so I don't think Jack is obliged to give Syd a day off for this. If kids go to school on their birthdays, then adults should go to work (unless they're unemployed) as well. Besides, Jack brought pizza. He was trying!

After last time, I guess Sky wearing his uniform could also show that he's becoming more comfortable in his position as the Blue Ranger under Jack's leadership, now that he has learned to respect Jack's qualities.

I can see Spd adding an s squad and a v squad in a lupinranger vs patranger adaptation .

Well then obviously the regulations say that birthday parties are an exception.

Makes one question just what kinds of people his parents were, dunnit?

Yeah, it's surprisingly real all around. People change, sometimes in very unexpected ways. And while it always hurts, it's best to know when to break yourself off. But on the bright side, you can always find others who are willing to reignite you. Perhaps in new and exciting ways.

Even then, MMPR had its moments, ya know?

Indeed. He's about at the point where he wears that blue uniform with pride.

I always said that a LuPat adaptation could've made a great prequel to SPD, had Hasbro been willing to do it.

Well, I stand fully corrected on my tidbit about both the Blue and Orange Head robots. Turns out they do infact talk at multiple points throughout the show, as the first of these two episodes shows. My mistake, I legit just outright forgot. With all that said, let's get into this one.

Episodes 11+12: Shadow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qml9HlzdQRQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiW40By4e4w

This is arguably the most popular two-parter amongst fans of Power Rangers SPD.

And honestly, if not for a different two-parter we'll see a little ways down the road, it'd probably be mine too.

The title of "Shadow" holds multiple meanings for these episodes.But at its bare essence, it talks about the shadows looming over a good chunk of the cast, as well as the arrival of arguably the Sixth Ranger of the season.

But before we dig into the main dish, let's go over all of the other good stuff laid out on the table before us. Because while the episode is almost entirely about the backstory of Anubis "Doggie" Cruger, many other characters have rather good showings here.

Most notable to me is Katt, who also gets a solid bit of development here, what with it being established that she's been good friends with the Commander for a long time now, which is why she's able to talk to him more directly than anyone else, and is the key to getting him to do what he needs to. It's also shown that she knows how to fight, which is important for later.

There's alot of fun to be had with the casting and directing here as well. For instance, Rene Naufahu, the voice actor for Emperor Gruumm, gets to play a civilian whom Gruumm steals the likeness of in this one. And he still kills it on every front. For those not in the know, Naufahu would later go on to play Mentor Ji in Power Rangers Samurai. So yeah, the guy for sure has range. I always love the Gruumm monologue scenes.

Surprisingly, these two episodes were also written by Bruce Kalish himself, showing that he actually can pull this sort of thing off; Especially in terms of dialogue. The climax of the episode has a sequence that I've often heard quoted by fans. And the direction this time is done by Mark Beesley, who, while not utilizing nearly as much visual storytelling as Charlie Hakell did for "Idol" does still managed to capture the dramatic tone needed to pull these episodes off; All while the transitions between stock footage are just as smooth.

But now we get to the big dog in all of this: Commander Cruger. This episode is all about him. His backstory, his attitude, his grief over his past failures, as well as the climax which shows that, while he might be old, he's still got it and is the head of SPD's' Earth Branch for a reason. And yes, he does indeed become the Shadow Ranger here, which, while it's common knowledge now, was a major twist back when this show first aired. It's not often you get to see the mentor characters throw down in Power Rangers, and even less often you get to see them become a Ranger themselves!

So let's talk about the Shadow Ranger for a bit. First off, he's got probably one of the coolest introductions like, ever? Leaping in to not only settle the score with an old foe, but making his grand entrance by cutting down 100 mooks in only a matter of minutes? Absolutely awesome. And all throughout the bout, he never once loses control. Even when it seems like Benagg has him cornered, Cruger is able to use Benagg's' own force against him in order to free Katt from the trap she got put in. And I really like his weapon of choice isn't actually tied to the suit itself, but rather it's Cruger's' own personal sword that he's used for years; Long before he became a Power Ranger.

Speaking of which, the Shadow Saber might just be one of the coolest swords ever. Its overall aesthetic is absolutely my jam, with the wolf head serveing as the crossguard, which in turn opens up in order to power the blade up. And that's not even getting into the finishing move, which features covering the area in blue flames which is just really cool visually ontop of matching the aesthetic of the suit itself. Heck, the suit in and of itself is really cool ontop of being rather unconventional by Power Rangers standards, yet still falls in line with signifiers of other SPD suits. I especially love how, due to how the jacket is cut, his number can be read as either "00" or "100" with both being fitting.

On that note, I want to talk about a personal anecdote really quick: Now, officially, the Shadow Ranger is both the Black Ranger as well as one of the Extra Rangers this season. But as a kid I was confused, because Shadow was not only the Sixth Power Ranger introduced into the season, but the unconventional design of the suit got me thinking that maybe he qualified as a second Blue Ranger, which I in turn felt was fitting given Cruger's' blue scales ontop of his mentorship of Sky. Things only got more confusing once the actual Sixth Ranger of the show got introduced, but more on that later. I fully acknowledge that this is most likely just a me thing, as I've never heard or read anyone else talk about this experience, so if it seems like I'm talking nonsense, then hey, fair enough.

I've also neglected to bring it up until now, but man, the suits, makeup, and animatronics in this show are absolutely fantastic and still hold up even today. And we have Greg Aronowitz and his crew to thank for that too. For those not in the know, Power Rangers SPD actually had a lower budget than the season that came before it; Dino Thunder. As such, alot of the alien stuff you see on screen was actually paid for out of pocket by people who were passionate about the project, and man, I have nothing but respect in that regard. Don't get me wrong, Disney absolutely should've fronted the bill on that front, but the hard work and dedication of everyone on staff really shows and goes a long way into the excellent visual aesthetic as well as world building that Space Patrol Delta manages to pull off all throughout the season.

There's just so much to like in these two episodes. Even the comedy stands out with the (in)famous "BATTLE CRY!" shout from the B-Squad during one of the Megazord fights being the bit that most tend to remember. But all in all, this two-parter manages to bring basically everything together into a wonderful piece of storytelling, and I couldn't imagine it being done any other way.