[DreamSword]

Before I get into this post, let me say a few things.

I've not really been replying to Androzani's' Time Force posts directly, because while there is stuff I disagree with or details he's gotten wrong, it's been mostly minor stuff that doesn't really affect much of anything.

That is to say, this here post is about to be an exception, because I feel like Androzani sort of missed the entire fundamental showing of the episode itself.

And if it's one thing the internet and its relationship with review(er)s has taught me, it's that having such a misleading representation of a story can infact be very damaging, especially when it comes to people who don't plan on experiencing said story for themselves.

So, let's get into this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Final thoughts: The episode was supposed to show Wes seeing his dad as a greedy, amoral businessman and leaving that behind, but that just doesn?t come through at all. The only reprehensible thing he actually does is steal the kid?s ball (and the fact he tells Wes to throw it in the trash indicates that he would have let the kid pick it back up anyway). He seems reasonably overwhelmed when told about the ransom, and his suggestion to leave it to the police isn?t a particularly terrible or close-minded one. Meanwhile, Wes steals money that was being used for a legitimate business transaction, one that must?ve taken weeks or months to be agreed upon, despite being told not to, all for the purposes of acquiescing to a demand he has no reason to acquiesce to, and he?s supposed to be the good guy here.

Okay, I don't know what planet you're from, but typically when one throws something into the garbage, it's with the intent of getting rid of it. For good. In other words, Mr. Collins was literally telling Wes "fuck them kids." And putting this right towards the proper start of the episode is important, as it showcases Collins' mindset when it comes to the episode as a whole.

Him telling Wes to leave things to the police isn't because he's being particularly level headed, it's because he's selfish and hates kids. This is even further hammered in at the episode's' end, wherein he's disgusted at the thought of him giving any of his money to any of the children, and only goes along with what Wes says because he knows it'll make for good public relations. Collins couldn't care less if the kids ended up dead. That's the whole point.

Oh, and that business transaction? The fact that he's able to casually throw $10 million at acquiring two companies at once; guess what that means? He's already loaded. He's not some dude just starting out, he's a multi-millionaire tycoon. And he's had Wes under his thumb for Wes' entire life. We've seen glimpses of this throughout the show so far, and that this episode alone has him ordering Wes around at the start, and how Wes has to refer to him as "Sir" really speaks volumes. Yeah, Wes stealing the money wasn't good, but Collins ain't exactly innocent of all accounts.

Now, as for my personal viewing of the episode, I think it's handled rather well at the story it wishes to tell. It shows that Wes isn't some spoiled rich kid with no conscience like what Jen accused him of early on, and he's taking his new found job as the Red Ranger rather seriously. Really, my only "critique" would be that I think I'd've liked the story even more if this episode were even just a few more spots down the line, as it'd give even more credibility towards both Wes coming into his own as well as Jen and the others fully coming around to liking him more.

Oh, and the one scene with get with Ransik is some rather nice foreshadowing, in hindsight.