[DreamSword]

So, I wanna note something about this episode that used to be one of, if not its most famous aspect, but nowadays some viewers might not even be aware of(if Androzani's' post is any indication). It's that due to the events of 9/11 happening soon after this episode aired, episode 4 of Time Force has no less than four different cuts. Namely in the scene where Ransik declares war on the city.

In the original cut, Ransik has Fearog blow up one of the buildings in the city. In the second cut(which is the one the official YouTube upload uses), Fearog instead blows up a mountain. In the third, they added the Time Force theme song to the background track(which is some serious mood whiplash given the subject matter of the scene), and in the four cut, they outright removed all of the dialogue in that scene. From everyone. Ransik, the Rangers, Circuit, everyone.

With that out of the way, yeah, episode 4 tends to be one of the stand out episodes for most people, and it's easy to see why!

It definitely shows that Time Force itself is going for a much darker and more dramatic approach than what Power Rangers had been known for at that time, and it was the first time that the big bad of the season was given a sympathetic backstory. To which people's' attitudes towards has shifted over time.

It's mainly due to the approach of a certain internet critic of whom I refuse to name, but the short version of his argue as to why he thinks Ransik's' backstory is bogus is, in short, "Because Ransik does bad things, he therefor cannot be sympathetic." Which is quite the take. But as someone who's experienced and witness prejudice and its effects first hand, I get where Ransik is coming from, and the episode itself seems to side with him too. Especially given what we've seen so far.

Because one aspect of Time Force that many seem to forget is the idea that the year 3000 isn't so great.

Eugenics is commonplace. Casual racism is still very much a thing(as seen with Lucas in episode 1). And if Frax is to be believed TV doesn't even exist. You have alot of implications of a a system that looks squeaky clean on the outside, but yet has a very dark underbelly.

Ransik is an example of just how hate begets hate. Sure, Jen can claim people tried with him all she wants, but not only is she not exactly an unbiased source, Ransik really didn't have any reason to make such a specific lie with Wes. And very smartly in terms of direction, not only is it clear that Wes is still unsure about the entire situation despite what Jen says, but that final scene of Ransik screaming really does highlight what the focus is here: The beginnings of a man rejected by society, and thus fought back in order to survive. Ransik's' methods aren't good, no, but it's entirely understandable how he came to be.

I really liked this episode.