[DreamSword]

So.

I was originally going to wait to do this until after I'd finished binging Beast Morphers, but with the recent announcement that most of Power Rangers will be leaving Netflix, I suppose there's no better time than now.

Power Rangers is a franchise that has been a part of my entire life. No joke, I was born in 1993, the same year that MMPR aired.

It influenced alot of aspects of my personal tastes. If not for Power Rangers, I wouldn't have my love of super heroes, martial arts, rock music, the number six... the list goes on. I have a fondness for it that I really can't put into proper words, which definitely confused the friends of mine who missed it growing up.

A few years back, a good friend of mine did his best to try and understand why I liked it so much, and, coincidentally, the series had just gone up in its(at the time) entirety on Netflix. So, half jokingly, I said to him "Well we could just binge the whole franchise together if you want." And to my utter shock and surprise, his response was a flat "Sure, let's do it."

And so, it happened! And it was alot of fun! We wouldn't just riff on some of the sillier aspects of the show, but also discuss various aspects of the franchise as a whole. The themes and lessons of each episode, the arcs and personality traits of each character, the attention to detail during the action sequences; I feel we really went in depth on it. He even pointed out certain things about each season that I had never noticed before, despite having seen many of them multiple times.

With the sort of bad rep that the franchise has in the Toku-sphere nowadays, I felt like I should do a sort of highlight reel of my favorite episodes for those interested, to maybe show just why I value this series so much. Has it made alot of mistakes? Certainly. But, so has literally every other Toku franchise, and it doesn't mean we should devalue the good that they do. So in the interest of making this a mostly positive experience, I'm going to be doing this in order of what I feel is the weakest season to my personal favorite season.

I do this because I wanna emphasize that even at the show's' lowest points, I can still find alot of positives to highlight. The usual format of one episode a day, my personal favorite episodes of each season.

This means starting off with something that will surprise pretty much no one, the season that I and many other feel is the lowest point the show has ever gotten...

Super Mega Force

Pre-show Preamble

Super Mega Force is a season that has absolute infamy amongst those both in and outside the fandom for many, many, Many reasons. And yeah, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't let down by it too. And looking into what all went on behind the scenes only paints the show in an even more negative light than what it already has. BUT! Despite all that, you can definitely see glimpses of a gem in the dirt. And the episode that I feel best exemplifies this is...

Episode 14: In the Driver's Seat

Now, there's a couple other episodes I legit enjoy too, such as episodes 11 and 13, but I'm focusing in on this one for a very specific reason that we'll get to later. And I already know what some of you might be thinking...

"Wait, isn't that the episode that made alot of RPM fans mad?"

Why yes it is! And as someone who also likes RPM, I infact liked this episode!

So what's the set-up? The Rangers receive a distress signal from Corinth after a wormhole mysteriously opens up in the sky. Gosei is suspicious, but the Rangers are resolute in helping out anyone who might need their help. As soon as they leave though, it's revealed to be a ruse; Professor Cog, somehow still alive after the events of the RPM and Samurai crossover, appears on Earth with a squad of Grinders to try taking over the planet.

I remember alot of people being upset about Cog being around when the episode first aired, but it's not like the series hasn't just brought characters back with no explanation before, so I was fine with it. Heck, the series would continue to do it later on with Sledge and (especially) Poisandra, two characters that alot of fans always seem happy to see, despite my personal distaste for them.

And right away we get a scene that I think does a decent job at something SMF actually does pretty well for the most part: Embracing ridiculousness. Just the sheer silliness of Professor Cog hitch-hiking a ride to the city from a farmer is just a great image on its own, but what always sells it for my is the Grinders piling ontop of each in the back, and the last bit of one of them trailing behind and chasing the tractor always gives me a chuckle.

We also get a nice scene of Orion, Emma, and Gia continuing their bonding seen in previous episodes. After a bit of a humble-brag by Emma, Orion express his appreciation for the two girls and the team as a whole, as well as a desire to pull his weight in helping keep the Earth safe from the Armada. I actually like alot of the scenes where they're flying about in the Sky Ship; It's a nice set! It's simplistic, sure, but it gets the point across and typically makes for scenery a bit more dynamic than what the Neo-Saban Era typically had(and I say that as a fan of said Era). Heck, they're flying through a wormhole in this one; That's cool!

What follows is something else that made RPM fans annoyed back then: The Corinth that the Rangers arrive in looking in pretty good shape, as well as a new Zord: The Turbo Falcon, which was never established in RPM proper.

Here's my logic for being fine with that though: Even taking the Samurai crossover into account, Corinth has not been under any world-ending threats for a few years by now. And what with people like Doctor K running around, it only makes sense that they would start to rebuild and expand.

As for the Turbo Falcon Zord, Noah explains that it was a prototype Zord locked away due it being hard to control. To me, that actually sounds entirely plausible. So yeah, this stuff checks out.

This episode also serves to highlight something else that I felt SMF actually did pretty well for the most part: Its villains. Prince Vekar is hilarious, with his childish antics and his Generals very obviously only putting up with him because they have to -- It's a dynamic I find highly entertaining! Plus, I love the angle this episode has of Villain vs Villain. They can't let Professor Cog take over the Earth because hey, that's THEIR job, dangit!

Would you all look down on me for saying I feel that SMF would've been way stronger had it been a mainly comedy season ala Ninja Storm? Because I do. This season managed to find alot of ways to make me laugh. Heck, Jake is my favorite character in both seasons of Mega Force because of just how goofy him and his scenarios are. His yelling at the Turbo Falcon to stop because it's going over the speed limit? Delightfully dumb on its own, but having Gia sarcastically remark about how dumb that is? Priceless. Heck, that very scene also serves to highlight each Ranger's' main personality trait. Jake with his simplistic idea, Noah with his offer of friendship, Emma trying to treat the Zord like a puppy, and Gia, who just goes "screw it" and yells at the thing. Meanwhile Troy is just trying to get the job done. It's all simple, but it does a good job at getting the idea across.

The action sequences that follow are pretty good too. I really like a good car chase, and on the villain side of things, seeing the unique fighting styles of each General was a nice treat. And when it comes to acting, the facial expressions everyone gets to make when Gosei breaks the news that the Rangers might be trapped in Corinth are done well. My personal favorite is Noah, who looks like he's super annoyed at how nothing is going the team's' way that day.

When the Rangers do eventually find a way to get back, Professor Cog, clearly out of desperation, offers a truce with Vekar, to which Levira points out it's alot better for the Armada if Cog and the Rangers kill eachother. To which Vekar replies with my favorite line in the entire season...

"Right. Good idea... Damaras, retreat! Levira has a plan that I came up with!"

That line absolutely floored me the first time I heard it, and cemented this episode as my favorite in the season. Prince Vekar is what makes SMF worth it. Major props to whoever wrote for him.

The episode ends fittingly enough; A fight using the RPM Rangers Keys, a new Zord Combination, and even a pretty decent brick joke featuring the return of the Farmer. So, in a way, Professor Cog gets the last laugh.

And that about does it! Was the episode anything super mega amazing? No, but it's by no means bad and has some good aspects going for it. And other episodes also go to show just what aspects of SMF do work. Do I think they save the season overall? No, I do still think it's the weakest season of Power Rangers overall, but do I feel it's one of the worst things ever put to TV like how some other fans react to it? Not by a longshot.

After-Show Bonus

Did you know that Andrew Gray is actually a good actor? Be sure to check out his Instagram where he's uploaded a bunch of other stuff he's done. So yeah, if you want to blame anyone for him acting stuff and wooden throughout most of (S)MF, blame the directors.