[Androzani84]

Second half of week 7, same as the first (literally, since they use the same fight footage), with...

Time Force Episode 7: Short-Circuited

No pictures this time. I don't think it's worth reposting the same paragraph from the last post for the readers only checking out this half of the thread, so I'll direct you to scroll up and read the second paragraph of that post, before moving on.

We open on the Rangers once more mid-battle with a mutant, who my sources name? Rabbitcon (truly a terrifying nomenclature), while Nadira watches on. After Trip defeats Rabbitcon, he grows big, with Nadira assuming the Rangers are helpless? forgetting until he shows up that the Rangers have a robot owl who summons their Megazord. During the ensuing battle, Nadira tries to steal Circuit (who somehow fails to hear her evil laugh right behind him), who flies away before she can grab him, causing her to comically crash into a bar, while the Rangers recapture Rabbitcon. (Well, it's slightly more well-integrated than last episode's cold open)

Some time later (by which I mean, the opening credits roll), the male Rangers are playing poker at the clock towers. Trip uses his mind reading to learn that Lucas has four of a kind, resulting in the latter banning the former from using his psychic visions for a whole day (which he enforces by slapping a bandage over Trip's forehead crystal). Meanwhile, Nadira gets Frax (who is starting to sound slightly less like a generic robot) to defrost Medicon (1. Who uses the same costume as Doku from this week's reviewed episode of Timeranger and B) Why are so many of these mutants named ?something-con?? Did whoever name them expect them to be criminals? Which would make sense of some things, but still), despite the robot's misgivings, for her latest plan.

Trip goes out on the town with Circuit, where they see a woman fleeing from Cyclobots. After saving her, Trip removes her hat, scarf and glasses to reveal Nadira, who's apparently not all that evil and is merely being forced by her evil father to do villainy. Without his powers, Trip falls for this long enough to buy her a hot dog (and either they're no longer a thing in the 30th Century, or mutants don't eat human food, since Nadira finds it disgusting) and make off with Circuit while they?re not looking.

Before Trip can warn the others, Medicon tampers with Circuit so all he can do is spout gibberish (I'm guessing they gave him the name Medicon because he's clearly themed around a doctor, rather than any role they had planned for him in the episode), before going out to attack a quarry (I can?t really blame 9/11 for this one, because the Sentai fight happened in a similar location). It's only after Katie's taken down Medicon and he's grown giant that Trip is able to share the bad news. Lucas then tears the bandage off Trip, telling him that this is a situation that requires his powers (I feel like he could've just made that point from the start). And as the Rangers fend Medicon off as he heads to the city, Trio uses his powers to locate Circuit.

He finds Nadira and the robot owl at an abandoned warehouse, and after beating off the grunts, Nadira flees in annoyance. Trip manages to fix Circuit by replacing his damaged parts, and then using the time honoured tradition of "hit the damn thing to make it work". He then returns to the city with Circuit to summon the Megazord. (He could've done that remotely, but whatever) They fend off Medicon with the Cyclone Defence, before turning into Mode Red to defeat and recapture him.

In the aftermath, Trio apologises for getting Circuit into the proceeding mess by being too trusting.

Circuit: I tried to tell you, but nooo!

The other Rangers assure him that his trusting nature and honesty are nothing to be ashamed of, and Lucas clarifies that Trio should only use his powers to inform the others of important matters? meaning that he ends up stepping in dog poop because he isn't looking where he's going, which is the note we end on.

Next time: One of Ransik's cronies offers to sell him out to Jen.

Final thoughts: It's definitely got a good premise behind it (the villains try to stop the Rangers from summoning the Megazord) and a lesson in not using your gifts for trivial things. Though the plot is fairly barebones (Lucas basically tells Trip he can use his powers without so much as an "It's all my fault" reaction in the dialogue. I suck at reading body language, so there might've been some there though) and the idea that apparently you can disable psychic powers with a band-aid kind of strains capability (if it was lead lined, then I might let it slide). But to prove I'm not made of stone, I thought both Kevin Klineberg (Trip) and Brianne Sydall (the voice of Circuit) gave it their all here.