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Power Rangers SPD Episodes 14+15: Wired

I've already talked about this two-parter pretty extensively for a separate project, so rather than repeat a bunch of stuff I've already said, I'll just try to highlight what few things I neglected to bring up in that old review. Be warned though, that old review has a few minor spoilers for future episodes.

Firstly, this is the fourth time that Jack uses his civilian power. And speaking of those powers, man, Bridge's' power just gets more and more OP the further in we get. He can read your emotions, he can see your memories, and in these episodes, it's shown that he can even get brief flashes of the nearby future. Bridge is cracked, man.

Second, this episode continues the trend of SPD being good at interweaving stock footage. It's especially notable here though, because they even went through the effort of having the lighting of some of the original footage match the Sentai stuff. Especially that shot of Shadow Ranger catching the card.

Third, they reused the food materializer from Power Rangers in Space here! Probably unintentional, but it's still a neat callback to that season. The same prop and all, too.

And last, Name and I recorded a podcast where we watch the episode live. Check that out if you want some other scattered thoughts.

This is my favorite pair of episodes this season, and there's so many reasons why.

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Power Rangers Dino Thunder Episode 19: Lost and Found in Translation

Original review is HERE.

Podcast can be heard HERE.

This episode is honestly just alot of fun all around.

It's also an odd example how the more things change, the more they stay the same9especially in a meta sense).

While it's only a light sprinkling due to this being a kid's' show, Conner here really does represent the sort of terminally online "no fun allowed" type of fan that many a fanbase unfortunately has to contend with.

But rather than just make him a completely unlikable jerk all the way through, Conner eventually does have his turnaround, by seeing the heart and soul of what makes many tokusatsu shows work: And that's the fun factor. And for Power Rangers specifically, the life lessons they teach ontop of that.

Episode 19 overall is a really unique beast in how it handles itself, its source material, and its overall subject matter. That, plus just the sheer fun of the situation is what I think makes this episode really stand out not just to me, but to alot of other fans as well. A shaking of hands between Power Rangers and Super Sentai is an idea that many more fans should adopt, I think.

[DreamSword]

Power Rangers Ninja Storm Episodes 26+27: Shane's Karma

Listen to the live watch HERE.

When people talk of "karma" they're usually referring to something bad happening to someone who's wronged others in the past.

As a result, something that many people forget is that "good" karma is every bit a part of the concept as what "bad" karma is; The idea of something good happening to those who've done good by others.

And that's exactly what the A Plot of this two-parter is about: Shane helped an alien when he was a child, and now that same being from beyond stars has returned years later to bestow her powers onto him; Both as thanks and due to her seeing just how kind of a person Shane actually is.

It's these set of episodes that introduce us to the Battlizer of the season, and like practically every Battlizer in Power Rangers, it's a real good one. Very cool looking in both modes, and its debut is highlighted both by the emotional ties it has to Shane's' backstory, as well as the explosively cool action sequences that accompany it.

Surprisingly, these two episodes aren't just "all Shane all the time" though; The rest of the cast gets their due. With a B Plot involving everyone trying to celebrate Tori's' birthday as well as a C Plot about the villains trying to manage a high school reunion. These episodes are every bit as fun as they are dramatic. And while it could easily come across as jarring, I really feel like Ninja Storm managed to balance the different tones rather well.

These aren't my personal favorite episodes of the season, but they're rather good ones to be sure, featuring alot of things that make PRNS such a good season, and I couldn't be happier with them.