[TokuChris]

Pro's
- Kelson Henderson. Welcome back, Boom.
- Red Bot. Unique plot-device potentially.
- Brother is name-dropped

Con's
- Missing dad
- Ripcon's voice
- First interaction between Brody and Ripcon

So here we go.

I didn't like this preview overall. Why? Because once again it feels like we're being given a slapstick attempt at slapstick comedy. Ripcon appears to be a general and, if given Ninninger footage is any indication, meant to be the first real villain that harasses the Ninja Steel Rangers. And in this VERY FIRST CLIP we see the Red Ranger, before he's the Red Ranger, best Ripcon in a comedy moment.

Therefore the entire threat that Ripcon is supposed to represent (we're going to be told how evil he is, because Power Rangers TELLS us things now and doesn't bother to SHOW us things) is wasted because I know the Red Ranger already out-smarted him before he had any powers.

Look back at like Goldar before he was comedy relief. He was a badass. He was never "defeated", only "subdued". The Rangers were afraid of him. Nearly everyone who loved MMPR will agree that the two most memorable unmorphed fights were between Jason and Goldar during "Green with Evil" and Tommy and Goldar in "Green No More". During "Return of an Old Friend", the Rangers were timid when handing in their power coins.

Ripcon?

Falls for the "look over there while I do something sneaky" trick.

Do not like. And his voice - did we go back to Megaforce villain voice overs? Not a great step in my opinion and not the voice I would choose.

The writing? Again - more telling, not showing. We're TOLD that Brody has a father who is missing and that this will be story for the future. We're TOLD that Brody also has a brother who is missing and that this will be story for the future. We're TOLD that Brody's father is a Ninja Master and that this will be story for the future.

How much more epic would it have been to start with a flashback of Brody's dad, in suit, fighting the bad guys and something like an explosion happening and everyone going "Where is he? Was he destroyed?" only to see a shadow dart off in to the distance. Fast forward to the ship scene. Done. Now we were SHOWN a mysterious Red Ranger ninja who disappeared and THEN discover it's this guy's father and it's been 10 years and no one knows where he is.

This is why Power Rangers Ninja Steel has a lot of work to do. For starters, it's following one of the biggest disappointments in Power Rangers Dino Supercharge, where an entire season of build-up and brilliant story-telling was flushed away for poop jokes, throwaway story resolution ("Dad! You're back! Oh, you're leaving? Okay dad, see ya!"), and an overall dumbing of the writing to a forcefully felt pre-school level.

I do not have high hopes for this season. If we've learned anything from Dino Charge/Dino Supercharge, it's that Chip and Co. would rather carve their own Universe than expand on the one that's already there, meaning don't count on Mystic Force Yellow, Ninja Storm Red, or Alien Red Ranger to make an appearance.

Now - I'd love to be wrong. I'd love to see Shane return and for the audience to learn that Brody is his son. I'd love to see Preston mention his mentor at magic school was a bit of a whacky guy only to see Chip roll up to give him another magic lesson. I WOULD LOVE THAT.

But that's too easy. That's too "fan-service"y. That's too much of what I want.

Instead, I expect toilet humor, numb writing, and of course, never using the theme song in the show ever because it's cheaper to use this royalty-free music we purchased.

I hope I'm wrong. I really, really do.