[DreamSword]

Episode 6: A-Bridged

Bridge is my favorite character in SPD, and my favorite Green Ranger of all time.

Sure, he's a very funny character, which is the immediate thing many gravitate to when it comes to him, and that's understandable. But there's so much more.

He's got such an endearing personality in general with his actor bringing alot of charisma to the role, and I always felt that, while it's never been outright confirmed(as far as I know), that he served as good representation for those on the autism spectrum(if I'm way off on that, by all means correct me).

And then there's episodes like this, where the ultimate lesson is to not judge a book by its cover, and Bridge, being the "weirdo" of the group, likely knows all about that ideology, also tying into his role as an empath.

This episode also marks the first time that a civilian power is actually majorly plot important, as Bridge's' Aura Sense is what kicks off the events leading into a more thorough investigation on the series of bank robberies going on around the city. While the meta reason for Bridge's' gloves is that Disney wanted to cover up Matt Austin's' tattoos, but in-universe the justification is that they limit Bridge's' powers, which must mean he has trouble turning it off. Dude feels big. Literally.

While not judging things as they first appear is the major theme of the episode, there's actually a secondary theme running throughout that poor communication kills. Had T-Top and B-Squad just talked things out, everything would've been smoothed over pretty quickly. Likewise, had the rest of the group put their faith in Bridge, everything would've went much faster too.

The episode also features the first time that a monster actually grows giant sized in this season. This time via the bite of a vampire bat sent out by Broodwing. And humorously, the Megazord has a pair of handcuffs that shrink monsters down. While on its face it's a bit silly, it does make sense. This show is set in a future where the Power Rangers are now common knowledge. After literal decades of giant monster attacks? Yeah, I could see some tech being developed to reverse the effects of gigantification.

Oh, and of course we can't forget that this is the episode where Bridge throws an ENTIRE CAR at the criminal. Haven't seen a move like that since my favorite episode of Mighty Morphin'. This episode has a little bit of everything sprinkled in with some wonderful character development. You know, like alot of episodes of SPD. For example, yes, this episode is very funny, but alot of episodes this season have great comedic beats; And not just from Bridge, but from the cast as a whole. While that might sound like I'm saying that this episode isn't anything "special" I mean it in the sense that it, too, is a great one in a long list of great episodes that this season of Power Rangers has.

The short of it is that Bridge, much like the show he's in, is just always a joy to be around, and this episode does a pretty good job at showcasing why.