[DreamSword]

Episode 9: Idol

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?