[DreamSword]

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

So fun fact, the reason the Dino Thunder elements are so sparse (and the reason the former Rangers are introduced at an implausible 1 year reunion) is because at the draft phase, Broodwing would?ve cloned the Dino Thunder Rangers rather then dragging them through time. It was changed because Disney felt kids would be confused by the whole thing (though personally, I think they were confused by it, given records of a similar attempt to avoid apparent confusion from Man of Steel screenwriter David S. Goyer).

While that does make for a better plan on Broodwing's' part, what we got instead does make for a better emotional connection with Dino Thunder fans. And you know, the original plan raises the question of what exactly would've happened to those clones come the end of the episode.

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And while it?s not really explained why SPD blow up the Draghouo rather than contain it, the Dekaranger episode explained that since the monster was a wild animal, it couldn?t be held accountable for its actions and was impossible to contain, so they had the go ahead to destroy it.

Seems like a pretty solid explanation for the scenario in SPD as well. But I personally like to think that, since it was Sam headlining the mission, he opted to just kill the thing due to all the trouble it was causing him, like he did with Shorty.

[DreamSword]

A quick note before we start: The official uploads on YouTube actually have the episode order wrong, so from here on out the order in which I cover episodes won't line up with the titles of the YouTube videos. But I assure you, I am following the original, official episode order. With that out of the way, let's begin.

Episode 32: Impact

This episode directly follows up on the events of the previous one, to the point that you could argue they make a two-parter.

And yet, I feel like it would've been better if this part happened first?

Given that half the plot involves a giant meteor headed towards Earth, I feel like that would've been a much cooler way of bringing the Dino Gems back, rather than Broodwing just kinda randomly finding them on another planet.

That aside, this episode is sort of like the Jack & Sky version of "Missing" in that half of it is an intense thriller episode, and in that regard it does just as well if not even better. I think the fans agree too, because that climax of the episode is often brought up as one of SPD's' finer moments.

Now, there is a minor error here in that the start of the episode says that Sky is a better shot than Jack(which would fall in line with what was established in "Idol"), yet come the halfway point it instead says that Jack is the better shot and Sky is the better pilot, but hey, maybe they were talking about when it came to Zord stuff specifically(even though Jack's' Runner doesn't have any guns but whatever).

Again though, that's minor, because yeah, I was super into this one, both as a kid and now. That climax really is very powerful, with Jack and Sky arguing over who should be the one to take on the suicide mission, and Jack ultimately being the one that needs to finish things. That fakeout at the end actually legit got me as a kid, and even now on rewatch, the entire sequence of Jack and Sky going their separate ways, and Sky talking about how he respects Jack despite everything? Very good stuff all around.

The rest of the episode's not exactly a slouch though. The fights are of course great, and all the stuff with the Megazords is in top form this time around. Most notably, this episodes debuts the amazing finisher that involves all four Megazords, with the gun mode of the SWAT Megazord being powered up by the other three. It's a very cool concept!

It's just a great time all around, this one.

[Androzani84]

The benefits of when the footage gets to the end of the year Sentai episodes is that the writers can get a more epic episode out of it (which is probably why from Dino Charge through Dino Fury, they were used as the final Megazord battle). And the most I can gripe about the episode is that Monica May had clearly only seen the word “Cerebral” or similar words written down, given how she butchers the pronunciation of “Cerebros” when Kraw is rumbled (which creates a mildly famous riddle for the ages: what happened to the real Professor Cerebros?)

[Mesnick]

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

And you know, the original plan raises the question of what exactly would've happened to those clones come the end of the episode.

I think they would have gone to live a new life and learn about the world of the future behind the scenes. Maybe into space, to explain why they were not asked for help in critical situations.

[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 30: Missing

I think the biggest strength of the episode overall is that it's legit tense nearly the entire time through. With the race against the clock to find Bridge, as well as the ever closing threat of him being crushed to death, it makes for a bit of a mini thriller movie for kids, and I really dug that about it.

I guess you could say that Bridge almost became buttery.

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

So Missing is another ?mostly the same? episode, even down to the bad guy of the week killing a dude offscreen (which is likely how they got away with it). The biggest changes are Piggy?s scene and Bork?s sentence being for somehow blowing up more planets than Benaag and the Devastation Bros rather than for murder. (That?s pretty much the most common form of censorship in SPD. Anyone who committed a family unfriendly crime in Dekaranger simply blew up more than the last planet killer in SPD).

Which is pretty ridiculous when you think about it, since the only way to destroy planets without committing (mass) murder is to only destroy uninhabited planets. So Bork's sentence is mostly for being, like, a space litterer. Sounds lame, right?

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

I'm glad you brought "Eagle" up, because that's an example I've never really seen anyone complain about, yet "Kat" and "Mantis" are just the absolute worst things ever, apparently.

Especially weird that the animal they changed it from, a condor, was already acknowledged as the Green Galactabeast. Maybe it's a Disney thing, repeated by Hasbro.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 31: History

While the action is almost nonstop all throughout the episode, the character interactions are alot of fun, and there's plenty here to enjoy for both Dino Thunder and SPD fans. And really, what more could you want from a crossover episode?

Because, see, one big strength that an episode like this has in a meta sense is it being appealing on multiple fronts. Viewers who enjoyed PRDT but didn't make the jump to SPD can watch this without feeling lost, and also get rewarded with getting a glimpse into what becomes of the main trio of that show in the future. Meanwhile, SPD fans keep getting more that signature style they've likely come to love.

Dino Thunder is both my first and favorite PR show, so I enjoyed this crossover a lot! Honestly, I would've been satisfied if this had been the only one in SPD, as the ending was already conclusive. Hearing about the thriving careers of Connor, Ethan and Kira makes me curious to see what happened to Trent after high school as well.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

While that basically sums up the episode, I do wanna note just one piece of fun trivia before signing off: When filming the episode, Connor's' actor, James Napier, hadn't actually seen the Commander Cruger suit beforehand. So the scene where Connor sees the big blue dog and instinctively steps up to protect Ethan? That was actually a genuine reaction from the actor.

I can relate! When I first saw the SPD trailer without knowing the premise, I thought Doggie was going to be a bad guy, since good guy aliens were a novelty back then and part of what made SPD unique. Connor's unscripted reaction is a realistic depiction of culture shock for a guy from 2005.

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

I think they would have gone to live a new life and learn about the world of the future behind the scenes. Maybe into space, to explain why they were not asked for help in critical situations.

I imagine it would be like the Lord Zedd Reanimizer thing in Dino Fury, with the main difference being that the teenage Dino Thunder clones would be alive at the same time as their originals.

[DreamSword]

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

(which creates a mildly famous riddle for the ages: what happened to the real Professor Cerebros?)

The implication is that Kraw killed him, but hey, they never directly say so who knows?

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I guess you could say that Bridge almost became buttery.

Dang, you're on a roll with these.

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Dino Thunder is both my first and favorite PR show, so I enjoyed this crossover a lot! Honestly, I would've been satisfied if this had been the only one in SPD, as the ending was already conclusive. Hearing about the thriving careers of Connor, Ethan and Kira makes me curious to see what happened to Trent after high school as well.

It's very cool all around for sure. But I can see why the demand for the eventual follow-up was there.

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I can relate! When I first saw the SPD trailer without knowing the premise, I thought Doggie was going to be a bad guy, since good guy aliens were a novelty back then and part of what made SPD unique. Connor's unscripted reaction is a realistic depiction of culture shock for a guy from 2005.

Cruger's' famous trailer line of "The end is coming" can sure be taken many ways!

[DreamSword]

Episode 33: Badge

I could recite this entire episode in my sleep.

And by that I mean that out of all the episodes this season, this is the one I remember rewatching the most as a kid, and even now I still love it.

If you've been reading my reviews for awhile, this statement probably won't be any sort of shock to you, but the biggest thing carrying this episode is its overall mood and atmosphere. It helps make the entire episode feel big in scale.

And it is! Not only is an emotionally powerful episode for all parties involved, but it's essentially the signal that SPD is starting to enter it's endgame. With one of the following episodes hammering in that nail. It managing to be both close and personal as well as a big piece for the grander plot is impressive.

Icthior, Cruger's' old rival, is also my favorite monster of the week this season. Him being the evil counterpart to Cruger always stood out to me due to how much both his design and attitude lean into that idea. The Ocean Saber opposing the Shadow Saber, his predominantly red design standing against Cruger's' blue, and how Icthior fights for personal gain, when Cruger fights to defend others.

The guy being a "hero killer" of sorts is also a big plus. That Icthior is able to take out the entire B-Squad with such ease and brutality, to the point that he even fractures some of their bones, makes for a very big threat even compared to alot of the other crooks that SPD has gone up against. And it's of course what leads to that great "heroic stand" moment from Jack and Z. There's so much good character work here, just as there always is in Power Rangers.

And I can't possibly end this one without noting how I believe this episode highlights more than any other how smart and careful the writing on SPD is with its wording. Yes, TV censors are much different in the USA than they are in Japan, but SPD almost always puts in the effort to still make the dialogue sound as natural as possible despite the limitations. Case in point, this episode features Morganna stealing giant gallons of blood for Gruumm, and to get away with it all they not to do was not say the word directly.

It's just a really enjoyable episode all around, and I'll always have a soft spot for it even if it's not my personal favorite episode(but man is it a good one).

[Androzani84]

Rather fittingly, this one is half a straight adaptation, half new material. Though somehow, both have a reveal regarding the big bad which hints at their endgame. SPD reveals that all the times Grumm has seemingly been talking to himself in his room… he hasn’t. While the equivalent episode had Broodwing’s counterpart Agent Abrella have a facedown with the 7 Dekaranger’s who transform regularly in which he reveals his motive is to create “a universe of crime, in which law and order does not exist”.

[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 32: Impact

Now, there is a minor error here in that the start of the episode says that Sky is a better shot than Jack(which would fall in line with what was established in "Idol"), yet come the halfway point it instead says that Jack is the better shot and Sky is the better pilot, but hey, maybe they were talking about when it came to Zord stuff specifically(even though Jack's' Runner doesn't have any guns but whatever).

Jack and Sky are both better shots in different ways. Jack shoots fast and on the move a lot, while Sky is the steady sharpshooter. In this case though, precision is the most important, so Jack could just be boasting as a way to cover up his intention to ensure that at least Sky returns safely, while relying on his own instinct to make the shot. Seems like something he felt like he had to do in that moment.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Again though, that's minor, because yeah, I was super into this one, both as a kid and now. That climax really is very powerful, with Jack and Sky arguing over who should be the one to take on the suicide mission, and Jack ultimately being the one that needs to finish things. That fakeout at the end actually legit got me as a kid, and even now on rewatch, the entire sequence of Jack and Sky going their separate ways, and Sky talking about he respects Jack despite everything? Very good stuff all around.

The fact that colors aren't personal in this show does create an illusion of expendability. After all, wouldn't have been the first time a Ranger sacrificed their life immediately after a crossover and the show does seem to be leading up to Sky taking over Jack's place someday. I'm glad Jack survived of course, but it's intriguing to think about how it would've gone if only Sky came back.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 33: Badge

Icthior, Cruger's' old rival, is also my favorite monster of the week this season. Him being the evil counterpart to Cruger always stood out to me due to how much both his design and attitude lean into that idea. The Ocean Saber opposing the Shadow Saber, his predominantly red design standing against Cruger's' blue, and how Icthior fights for personal gain, when Cruger fights to defend others.

Between Icthior, Gruumm and Benaag, there are a lot of people who have a beef with Doggie. I can totally see why you like Icthior as a villain so much, as he's also the only MOTW to appear as a boss in Super Legends. He's clearly strong as hell and having the police be on the run from him is an effective way to show that! But ultimately, a guy who fights for the sake of fighting cannot win against Doggie who fights with a heart of justice.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

SPD reveals that all the times Grumm has seemingly been talking to himself in his room? he hasn?t.

Gruumm sure has been going on about "The Magnificence" in the latest string of episodes, huh?

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Jack and Sky are both better shots in different ways. Jack shoots fast and on the move a lot, while Sky is the steady sharpshooter. In this case though, precision is the most important, so Jack could just be boasting as a way to cover up his intention to ensure that at least Sky returns safely, while relying on his own instinct to make the shot. Seems like something he felt like he had to do in that moment.

Yeah, that makes sense.

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The fact that colors aren't personal in this show does create an illusion of expendability. After all, wouldn't have been the first time a Ranger sacrificed their life immediately after a crossover and the show does seem to be leading up to Sky taking over Jack's place someday. I'm glad Jack survived of course, but it's intriguing to think about how it would've gone if only Sky came back.

Indeed. In the case of an alternate timeline where Disney let them get away with that though, I do wonder who'd rise up to fill the void left by Jack. Sophie maybe?

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Between Icthior, Gruumm and Benaag, there are a lot of people who have a beef with Doggie. I can totally see why you like Icthior as a villain so much, as he's also the only MOTW to appear as a boss in Super Legends. He's clearly strong as hell and having the police be on the run from him is an effective way to show that! But ultimately, a guy who fights for the sake of fighting cannot win against Doggie who fights with a heart of justice.

All of Anubis' stories are very personal, which is probably a big factor as to why he's popular. And I totally get it.