Why is this episode one of the best?
Kicking off the Psycho Rangers saga of In Space, this episode is the first time we are introduced to a true, evil team of rangers. In the past, we either had good people under spells, or teams of monsters/putties/clones that were defeated in one episode. The Psychos are not that- they're a force designed to directly counter the good guys, and in this episode, they dominate fight completely.
This is one of the only episodes in the show's history where the Rangers don't really win by the end. In fact, they're trounced quite badly by the Pscyhos, and it adds a nice level of drama to an already tense situation.
The Psychos also set up a plot that will continue until just before the finale- the newly turned evil Astronema wants to destroy not only the rangers, but Dark Specter as well.
Why is this episode not number one?
The episode is nearly perfect, but it does have a few little things that bug me. For one, there are a lot of repeated lines in the episode, for the sake of exposition. Watching as a little kid I never noticed, but seeing the episode now, and having watched it so many times, there's lines that really don't need to be said, or that are said repeatedly in different ways by different characters.
Also, when the Psychos first show up and are disguised as the rangers, the "brown squares" bother me. It has always bothered me in fact. Here are these really intelligent villains, but their perfect design is off by one very obvious thing to fix. It's done of course to match the Japanese footage, and also so that the audience will know who is who...but I feel like it's a really weird way to do it.
Plus....there's a lot of bad guest star acting in this one.
How does this episode influence the new movie?
I've posted a lot about the theory that Rita is probably a former ranger turned evil; there's just too many visual clues for this to not be the case. The most threatening thing for a ranger team and the audience watching is for them to fight another ranger team. Even when that team isn't evil, the level of the battle far exceeds the usual monster of the week. You're fighting someone with powers equal to yours, and thinking ability to equal to yours.
Beyond that, the movie ranger suits themselves have an oddly Psycho Ranger look to them. With Kyuranger doing so well, and Bandai Japan/Bandai America collaborating now, this may be the end of the traditional spandex suits as we know them. And really, after 41 years, it was time to evolve.
NOTE: TICKETS ARE OFFICIALLY ON SALE FOR THE POWER RANGERS MOVIE! THE MOVIE OPENS NEXT FRIDAY, MARCH 24th, with THURSDAY SHOWINGS AVAILABLE IN SOME AREAS.
Head to Fandango and check for theaters in your area!
We are officially in Premier Week! Today, (March 22nd), Bill Hader will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Check your local listings for times!
Also, IGN will be streaming the Power Rangers Red Carpet tonight at 9 PM Eastern (6 PM Central.) Stars of the movie will be in attendance as well as the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!
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