[Sh Ranger]

The rest of Season 2 was released a few days ago, so I'm excited to see if Dino Fury can stick the landing as I catch up over the next few weeks!

12:
Amelia focus! Great way to start for sure, seeing her in her element with the supernatural investigation. She clearly enjoys her work, even when chasing dead ends. I thought it was a pretty emotional scene when she revealed her tragic backstory about her missing parents, like that's got to be important to the plot at some point, right? Knowing that's why she cares so strongly about the supernatural makes me appreciate her even more, she seeks the truth and is willing to bend a few rules to find out. Clever how the unadapted Gobusters footage with Tateloid was used to briefly show Beast Morphers' prison break situation, really adds to the continuity and makes the conflict feel bigger. Lord Zedd's finally back, putting his plan in action by springing Scrozzle in exchange for his service.

13:
I've noticed that PR has been introducing a lot of romantic subplots lately, at least since Ninja Steel. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you remember that episode where Roxy has a misunderstanding and Ravi angrily refuses to explain himself but the episode moral is all like "oh, Roxy was wrong for doubting him!", then you might agree there's precedent for toxic portrayal like that. Fortunately, this Amelia/Ollie episode isn't that awful and puts the blame on both parties for being dishonest and tsundere-ish about their feelings. I would like to say that this ship feels a little sudden, despite Izzy claiming they "vibed" or whatever, but kudos for Zayto referencing the "honeymuffin" thing from Season 1 Episode 3. It's a better and healthier ship than anything that came from Beast Morphers anyway, so I'll allow it.

14:
Thanks to Ollie remembering his brainwashing experience, we now have all 3 parts of the signal assembled! Turns out one of my several Rafkon theories was right, that the Rafkonians opened a cosmic gate to another star system and moved the planet there. However, when the Rangers arrive there to check it out, the only life they can find is Lord Zedd and his allies. The terrain has changed to a grassland vista in the last 65000000 years, but the Rafkon civilization is mysteriously absent. What could've happened here?! Looks like the planet doesn't have its own equivalent of Macbeth either, as our always arrogant Aiyon is quick to assume that Green Morphin' Master's prophecy, "you are needed to defeat Lord Zedd", instead means, "only you can defeat Lord Zedd". The prophecy wasn't wrong, he likely just misinterpreted the meaning. The Rangers do need Aiyon, as the empathetic heart of the team, but likewise, he should remember that "team" is the keyword there.

[DreamSword]

It was such a shame that a proper Beast Morpher crossover couldn't be done due to Covid. But they did what they could, and it was a nice little callback/acknowledgement if nothing else.

[Sh Ranger]

15:
It's lorin' time, with the Morphin' Masters! While those deus ex machinas in the past are still narratively unsatisfying when watching the episodes on their own, it's nice that they at least acknowledged it by revealing that it was all the work of Master Green (I like how they're referred to as Master [color], it's a cool Ryusoulger reference!) behind the scenes. There's also a pretty ominous reveal that Morphin' Masters aren't totally invincible and actually have enemies who are capable of hunting and killing them! Are Black, Yellow and Pink among the dead? Furthermore, despite their godlike power, there seems to be a limit to how much they can use at once, as Green destroying the force field leaves her vulnerable to Lord Zedd's lazer. The other major event here is the total destruction of Rafkon, which is a depressing moment for Zayto and Aiyon. It's almost like building a machine in to the planet's core was a bad idea, huh? Master Green hints that she knows where the Rafkonians went, but has the courtesy not to waste it on more exposition, so we can find out when the Rangers do firsthand. Lord Zedd won't be going anywhere for a while, now that he's in the Masters' captivity.

16:
Seldom does Izzy get to deliver a good joke but "My girlfriend is a dinosaur.... And I'm fine with that?" was pretty humorous. Creative way of using the miniature Tyramigo footage as well, with Izzy fighting competently as T-Rex Champion Zord alongside Dino Fury Red. Mucus' VA, Torum Heng, appears in person to portray her humanized form and despite Mucus' insecurity about it, I think she can pull off the look either way, as her VA gave a good performance replicating the body language. Javi learned a decent moral about not cutting corners and that you should aim for success by your own means and not at others' expense. BTW, if you don't want spoilers about a certain subplot involving Amelia, then I advise you to stay away from the corresponding Rangerwiki page, that place is still saying way too much in the not-so-trivial trivia section! I know too much!

17:
I continue to be both impressed and surprised by Warden Buzzkill's recent increase in wisdom. After expressing frustration to Izzy about her turning down the college, he actually refers back to his failure as a parent to Javi and realizes he's getting too involved with his kids' personal problems again. So he apologizes for his mistake and accepts that she doesn't have to tell him her reason, while encouraging her to still tell Fern. Balancing normal life with a secret identity is always difficult, but he's right that you can't keep secrets that big from your romantic partners. This was the first Izzy/Fern plot I was actually invested in, as it focused on the fundamental need for mutual understanding to maintain a healthy ship, rather than the specific underdeveloped dynamic between these two characters. It was easy to root for Izzy here, which is something I'm glad I was able to say in what's most likely her last focus.

[DreamSword]

Episode 15 was what took me completely out of the show, as it not only robbed many a Ranger of their greatest achievements, but also removed any and all stake for tensions the show could've had. What was shown during the finale of Season 1 is only reinforced here: Rangers have a problem? No worry, the Morphin' Masters will fix it for them!

-The Rangers didn't win the Legendary Battle through their combined efforts and valiant fighting spirit, it was all thanks to Master Green!

-Steel wasn't reincarnated as a human via his direct interactions with the Morphin' Grid as well as his obtaining of his own soul, it was all Master Green!

Needless to say I was not pleased.

[KamenRanger1997]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 15 was what took me completely out of the show, as it not only robbed many a Ranger of their greatest achievements, but also removed any and all stake for tensions the show could've had. What was shown during the finale of Season 1 is only reinforced here: Rangers have a problem? No worry, the Morphin' Masters will fix it for them!

-The Rangers didn't win the Legendary Battle through their combined efforts and valiant fighting spirit, it was all thanks to Master Green!

-Steel wasn't reincarnated as a human via his direct interactions with the Morphin' Grid as well as his obtaining of his own soul, it was all Master Green!

Needless to say I was not pleased.

Honestly, those "achievements" were so unimportant that this new information changes nothing for me

[KamenRanger1997]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

15:
This was the first Izzy/Fern plot I was actually invested in, as it focused on the fundamental need for mutual understanding to maintain a healthy ship, rather than the specific underdeveloped dynamic between these two characters. It was easy to root for Izzy here, which is something I'm glad I was able to say in what's most likely her last focus.

I may be misremembering here, but has any other couple in Power Rangers said "I love you"?

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 15 was what took me completely out of the show, as it not only robbed many a Ranger of their greatest achievements, but also removed any and all stake for tensions the show could've had. What was shown during the finale of Season 1 is only reinforced here: Rangers have a problem? No worry, the Morphin' Masters will fix it for them!

-The Rangers didn't win the Legendary Battle through their combined efforts and valiant fighting spirit, it was all thanks to Master Green!

-Steel wasn't reincarnated as a human via his direct interactions with the Morphin' Grid as well as his obtaining of his own soul, it was all Master Green!

Needless to say I was not pleased.

I can kind of agree that it's going to be hard for the franchise to keep up the stakes going forward, now that we know the Morphin' Masters are aligned and can just dispense miracles however they see fit. The only problem I imagine is if they play their hand too often, those enemies they mentioned might catch up to them, which could potentially suck for the Morphin' Grid and everybody connected.

Honestly though, some of those events needed explanations to make any sense. Like seriously, there was no way the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin just happened to be in a random meteor, that just happened to land in the exact place Devon was passing by. There was no way Steel revived as an original human with only Nate's DNA as a template, or else he would look like Nate. Those things had to be Master Green.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KamenRanger1997

I may be misremembering here, but has any other couple in Power Rangers said "I love you"?

I'd think so, but none that I can immediately recall.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I can kind of agree that it's going to be hard for the franchise to keep up the stakes going forward, now that we know the Morphin' Masters are aligned and can just dispense miracles however they see fit. The only problem I imagine is if they play their hand too often, those enemies they mentioned might catch up to them, which could potentially suck for the Morphin' Grid and everybody connected.

Honestly though, some of those events needed explanations to make any sense. Like seriously, there was no way the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin just happened to be in a random meteor, that just happened to land in the exact place Devon was passing by. There was no way Steel revived as an original human with only Nate's DNA as a template, or else he would look like Nate. Those things had to be Master Green.

If you're looking at them purely logistically, sure, they don't make any sense.

But both symbolically, thematically, and based on what was established about how the Morphin' Grid worked in previous seasons, I really didn't find there to be much of an issue.

The Grid has been established to basically be "life energy" and if what Zordon and Zedd have said is to be believed, works on a balancing between good and evil. It's not really much of a stretch to say that a combination of Steel's' own soul, Nate's' DNA, and the direct interfacing with the Grid is what allowed him to gain a human body. Nor would it be much of stretch to think that the grid itself had sent the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin.

But even then, the Morphin' Masters really did not need to be involved for this stuff. Heck, the Coin could've just been sent by Ninjor. That would've been a cool callback that made alot of sense. Instead what we get is the implication and idea that the only reason all of the past Ranger teams ever succeeded in their journeys was due to secret intervention by Master Green, of which I am not a fan. I feel like the writers really went overboard in their quest for stronger continuity between seasons.

[TokuKnight89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 15 was what took me completely out of the show, as it not only robbed many a Ranger of their greatest achievements, but also removed any and all stake for tensions the show could've had. What was shown during the finale of Season 1 is only reinforced here: Rangers have a problem? No worry, the Morphin' Masters will fix it for them!

-The Rangers didn't win the Legendary Battle through their combined efforts and valiant fighting spirit, it was all thanks to Master Green!

-Steel wasn't reincarnated as a human via his direct interactions with the Morphin' Grid as well as his obtaining of his own soul, it was all Master Green!

Needless to say I was not pleased.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KamenRanger1997

Honestly, those "achievements" were so unimportant that this new information changes nothing for me

Quote:

Originally Posted by KamenRanger1997

I may be misremembering here, but has any other couple in Power Rangers said "I love you"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I can kind of agree that it's going to be hard for the franchise to keep up the stakes going forward, now that we know the Morphin' Masters are aligned and can just dispense miracles however they see fit. The only problem I imagine is if they play their hand too often, those enemies they mentioned might catch up to them, which could potentially suck for the Morphin' Grid and everybody connected.

Honestly though, some of those events needed explanations to make any sense. Like seriously, there was no way the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin just happened to be in a random meteor, that just happened to land in the exact place Devon was passing by. There was no way Steel revived as an original human with only Nate's DNA as a template, or else he would look like Nate. Those things had to be Master Green.



I'd think so, but none that I can immediately recall.

Jen said it, if memory serves. However, most couples won't be allowed to kiss cause that's Tommy and Kim's thing (as far as the franchise is concerned)!

Morphin' Masters helping in vague instances doesn't remove the stakes! Like Animus, they may be treated as "gods", but they're living "gods"! They have a sense of righteous arrogance and can supposedly die with the best of them.

I kinda see them as the Prophets of the Celestial Temple from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. They say that the affairs of mortals are not their concern, but they clearly care enough to influence the cultural identity of mortals. They are so evolved and powerful that they view things differently from mortals and are utterly convinced that they're in the right. They vary from detached approaches to involved ones, and you can never tell when they're going to which. To everyone who isn't a faithful Bajoran in DS9, the Prophets are just "Wormhole Aliens" who exist on a different plateau of existence. The Morphin' Masters probably have those who don't view them as gods, but as "legendary space warriors" as far as the PR Multiverse is concerned. Probably also those who view the Morphin' Grid in scientific rather than spiritual terms, same as with the Wormhole VS. The Celestial Temple thing in DS9. One could argue that much of this is a common trope in sci-fi, but this felt like a good and specific analogy to me. The only real difference is that in PR, the "gods" can be convinced if someone tells them off! The Prophets plan and/or see it all well in advance and stick with it with very little in the way of deviation. They tend not to listen well.

This is partly why I don't think answering franchise questions by gluing the Master Green to everything is a bad thing, cause she did VERY DAMN LITTLE in terms of major retcons! The machinations of the fandom wants to interpret her as having a hand in everything, but a lot of it is just guesswork. We were only given isolated examples and the way they were described took NOTHING away from the characters involved.

Meteor strikes Devon which has a radioactive Power Coin inside? God, that was weird! Saying that it was all because of Master Green helps it in some ways, but it's pretty much still weird. Steel becomes human cause of Master Green? Steel PROVED himself and Master Green saw that. It only kinda takes away some of the mystique surrounding the Grid, which has a semi-sentient thing going. It takes NOTHING away from Steel! Legendary Rangers wail on some X-Borgs and vanish like Ranger Keys in the 199 without actually dispersing their powers like the 199? Yeah, that was just explaining some weird editing and calling it a weird teleportation. They were probably summoned, re-empowered, and then sent on their merry way. I actually would've retconned the thing myself and said that they were reenergized by Sentinel Knight cause we already know that he can do that kinda thing.

Everyone on Twitter wants to say that Master Green was responsible for everything from Justin becoming Turbo Blue or Master Green was the one who revived Kendrix! Fascinating ideas, but that's all they are for now.

That might be the whole point. Giving us a face to the Morphin' Masters helped with the franchise lore, but it also gave the fandom something new to think about and speculate over. By saying that some events are because of one meddling Master, it suggests that other events might have been influenced as well. It's a retcon, but it's up to viewer interpretation as to what gets retconned! I have my own ideas, but that's all they are right now.

Does the renewed interest in the Masters mean something for the future? Possibly, as they will likely have a role in Cosmic Fury and the MMPR Reunion. Could other Masters have survived in crystal encasements? Also possible, as it's a clearly defined means of punishment and sacrifice. Could Master Green die in the near future? Also possible, as the Masters may be implied immortals, but they can also clearly be targeted!

What Rangers do doesn't necessarily connect with what the Masters say or think or do! Do the Masters revive people or does the Grid? One could say that both could do it, and that would mean that we've had a Deus ex machina from the very beginning! Could that mean that Rangers can die and then come back? It's already been shown to happen before. If they die in battle, especially in an act of self-sacrifice, then YES!

[Enchilada645]

Feels like people have become obsessed with having tangible explanations than miracles, which are honestly fine to have in stories, and as a result end up cutting down fantastical moments into mere explanations of things.

Anyway I'm here to say that Dino Fury reeks of Power Rangers trying to be more like the MCU when it never had to be given it was already connected. And that's going to harm the franchise the further that mindset sets in than help it. The MCU was a mistake even if it gave us some fun movies, because everyone is trying to emulate it now even if it makes no sense to do so.

Also, Master Green is already a big joke on social media once the reveal of what she did came into play. So I don't see any further attempts to try and push the Morphin Masters, going off as well as people think they might since this is already a pretty worrying botch.