Power Rangers Premier Countdown: 13th Place goes to...

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Episodes 141-143: Master Vile and the Metallic Armor

Why are these episodes some of the best?

Master Vile and the Metallic Armor does something a lot of Power Rangers, especially Mighty Morphin, did not- world building. The introduction of Master Vile gives us just a bit more on Rita's family, gives a reason for Zedd's skinless-ness, and most importanly introduces the Zeo Crystal, a McGuffin that actually has a use past these 3 episodes.

The 3-parter also lets us see Tommy overcome his past wrongdoings so he can get the Zeo Crystal before Master Vile as well as seeing Cat willing to sacrifice herself to accomplish said mission, and save the Falconzord, along with winning the crystal. It's a nice follow-up to everything that has come before as these two rangers are connected by their past enchantment via Rita, and it also hints at their future relationship.

Plus, we get some intergalactic travel and cool Zord fights. Never a bad thing.

Why are these episodes not higher on the list?

The Metallic Armor.....oh boy the Metallic Armor. By my best recollection, the Metallic Armor was introduced to sell some unsold Power Rangers movie toys. The reason they're such a problem is that they're literally used all of 3 times. (It may be 4, but I really think it's just 3.) Besides being used so infrequently, they're just not really that appealing of an upgrade. (Except for Yellow, that gold helmet is fantastic.)

There's also some continuity errors by way of Sentai footage here. When the Ninja Megazord is shown the first time, it is combined with the Falconzord. (Still captured in Zedd's throne room at this point.) A bunch of Power Rangers' continuity problems just comes from bad editing.

The Blue Globber is also nowhere near as intimidating as it should be for a monster utilizing Ninjor and the Rangers' powers. (He was utterly terrifying in Kakuranger though.)

How do these episodes possibly influence the movie?

The greatest influence these episodes will have on the upcoming movie is undoubtedly, the Zeo Crystal. We have no idea what role the Crystal will play, but thanks to the Alphabot app from Lionsgate and Saban...we know that it is something that Rita is after. Not a bad way to set up future sequels.



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Power Rangers Premier Countdown: 14th Places goes to...

Power Rangers Turbo Episodes 44-45: Chase into Space

Why are these episodes some of the best?

I think Power Rangers gets an unfair representation when looked back upon by the general masses. It is always remembered as a formulaic show, where the good guys are always winning. While I guess this is generally true, a lot of the more quality episodes actually end with the good guys losing, and pretty badly at that.

The finale of Power Rangers Turbo is one of these episodes. While I don't believe Turbo is anyone's most favorite season of the show, it has a lot of positive notes and they're all touched upon in these final two episodes. Plus it's really the first time that the show had a tried-and-true destruction of the rangers' home base by the bad guys. And it highlights the fact that the Command Center is in plain view of everyone.

The original command center does get blown up at the end of the Alien Rangers saga, but it's not a struggle by any means, and it gets brought back as the Power Chamber in the next few episodes. Here, the Power Chamber is GONE. That's it, goodbye. Future series would delight in their "command center" destruction scenes.

The plot with Justin and his Dad's new job is actually a believable life event. Those are few and far between in Power Rangers. If you didn't like Justin, this episode made you care about him at least a little bit, seeing as how it was up to him to get the rangers into orbit.

It's a dramatic, high-stakes episode that ends with the rangers heading into Space, and really serves as a premier episode of sorts for the next season, more so than it does as Turbo's final episodes. But man...I remember watching this as a kid and being at the edge of my seat when the rangers take off in that shuttle. It was before I knew what Super Sentai was, so I had no idea the next show would have anything to do with Space.

Why are these episodes not higher on the list?

While the episode does give us a lot of what we loved in Turbo, it doesn't really do much in the way of mitigating what people hated. The Super Sentai footage still doesn't mesh too well with the American characters, though it comes off better here because said episode of Carranger was a little bit more tense than usual.

Bulk, Skull and Lt. Stone are reduced to almost no screen time, which is not surprising given what was happening behind the scenes. (Bulk and Skull were supposed to receive their own spy-themed spin-off series, but that didn't take.) As such, there's no real civilian representative for the evil stuff that is happening in the episode. So when the rangers battle....and lose both Megazords...it kind of feels like they did it for no reason. Who were they saving? Trees?

Probably the worst thing the episode does is set up a plot line that goes nowhere...which isn't so crazy for Power Rangers. There have been countless theories on how the rangers are automatically allowed to use the Space Shuttle and what Justin actually says to the Commander about Eltar, but it is never followed up upon...and it really nags at the minds of fans. (My personal theory is that the Commander was going to be set up as the new mentor for Space, sort of in the same vein as Megaranger, and they decided to nix that.)

How do these episodes possibly influence the movie?

Probably the most apparent thing that this episode led to for the movie is that the Command Center has been moved to an actual hidden location vs just being out in the open. I think we'll also hopefully see some of the more government-based facilities that Power Rangers has had over the years, (the Power Coins are located in a "restricted area"), even if it's just little Easter Eggs.



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Power Rangers Premier Countdown: 15th Place goes to...

Power Rangers Wild Force Episode 34: Forever Red

Why is this episode one of the best?

This is going to be short and sweet. We know why this episode ranks as one of the best. What is better than seeing an all-star team of Red Rangers take on the remaining forces of the Machine Empire in their plan to resurrect Lord Zedd's titantic zord Serpenterra? Not a whole lot.

It's a half hour full of action, scenery chewing, and general badassery and nostalgic wonder. If you've never watched it, watch it.

Why is this episode not higher on the list?

Forever Red is a great episode in that it's fun and puts together a cast of fan-favorite characters...but there's a lot of things wrong with it too. Rocky is notably missing from the lineup, due to production just not being able to locate the actor at the time of filming. (To be fair, Aurico is also not his original actor...but that one's a little bit easier to let pass.)

Then there's the fact that the episode was supposed to be at least a 2-parter, but there wasn't enough budget, so it got knocked down to one. (This is the main reason that the "Machine Empire" is composed of Beetle Borgs suits.) But added to that, the episode actually went over budget, and production had to ask Bandai for some cash, leading to the unfulfilling way the episode ends. (Cole, Wild Force Red, using his new bike toy to take out Serpenterra....because you know, that seems like a fitting end for a Zord that can blow up a planet.)

Cole is also a little bit wooden here (and in other Wild Force episodes) but it's balanced out by the other Red Rangers and the fact that he's identified as "The Rookie."

How does this episode possibly influence the movie?

Legacy. The new Power Rangers film seems to be trying to establish an extended universe for its Power Rangers mythos. There were rangers before this present team, and it's incredibly likely that Zordon and Rita were at least involved with that team in the past.

Power Rangers has always prided itself on being in a shared universe with its characters and story, but has never had the budget to fully realize it. (Re: Megaforce)

I think, if given the chance, the movie universe could end up showing us legions of ranger teams joining forces to snuff out evil and all that good stuff.



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Power Rangers Premier Countdown: 16th Place goes to...

Power Rangers Dino Charge Episode 4: Return of the Caveman

Why is this episode one of the best?

In the wake of Dino Super Charge's finale, I feel like a lot of fans, myself included, have a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouths when it comes to the season (well, seasons.) It's important to remember though that while Super Charge is a bit of a mess, Dino Charge is, in and of itself, a pretty great season.

Return of the Caveman excels because it's simple. We get to see the backstory of how Koda found his Energem, and we learn that he had a little brother in the past. Koda saves his brother from a Smilodon attack, and in the process falls over a cliff, becoming frozen until present day. (We actually don't see this explained until a bit later, and actually see him get discovered in Season 2. Cool stuff.)

Return of the Caveman also exists as one of the only "bike episodes" of Power Rangers to actually have much in the way of character development- and that is no small feat. (Koda having to deal with his fear of the new Dino Charge cycles, and bikes in general.) In short, the episode is about an old soul who can't quite seem to get used to modern day technologies, and it makes him wonder if he is cut out to be a hero.

As a bonus, Koda gets to say "It's Morphin Time!" in this, and you can practically feel the joy in Yoshi's line delivery. (They also name the little kid he's trying to save Peter, which is his real-life brother's name, who is currently on Power Rangers. The kid in the episode is supposed to represent Koda's brother. It's Inception-level Power Rangers references.)

Why is this episode not higher on the list?

While Dino Charge is nowhere near the level Samurai, Megaforce, and now regrettably Ninja Steel is, it still has some line deliveries that feel like they're being targeted directly at toddlers. Some jokes, for example, are delivered so slowly that they stop being jokes, and just become Golf commentary.

There's also the return of Power Rangers' favorite problem- terrible child actors. Now, the kid who plays Peter is definitely not that bad as an actor, but as with most of the New Zealand-filmed shows, he has a bit of trouble keep his accent in check. I can forgive that though. His friends at the end of the episode however? They might as well have been cardboard.

And last, but not least, that terrible, terrible CGI Smilodon.

How does this episode possibly influence the movie?

There's a lot about the new Power Coins that feel very close to the Energems in Dino Charge. They don't necessarily give civilian powers like in Disney seasons, but they do channel the power of the suits into the rangers while they are un-morphed. I think that's what the movie is doing as well.

Then there's the talk of Rita and Zordon's battle going back 65 million years, versus the 10,000 in the TV Show. Alpha, Rita and Zordon seem like they'll be fish out of water in the film, and like Koda, have to adapt to their new surroundings. As they're already part of an alien war...it's probably going to be easier on them than it was for him.



NOTE: TICKETS ARE OFFICIALLY ON SALE FOR THE POWER RANGERS MOVIE!

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Also, Becky G, who plays Trini, will be a guest on Wendy Williams today to promote the movie. Check your local listings for times.

Power Rangers Premier Countdown: 17th Place goes to...

Power Rangers Zeo Episode 12: Instrument of Destruction

Why is this episode one of the best?

Honestly, if we were only ranking episodes from Power Rangers Zeo, this probably wouldn't score too highly, but as we're doing all episodes, here's my argument.

Instrument of Destruction employs a tool that I am quite fond of in cinema and television- utilizing music that is off-genre to make the scenes that much more powerful. The piano melody used throughout the episode ties together all the fight scenes nicely, and offers up a really nice contrast to the usual Power Rangers background tunes.

I think what really pushes this episode to the top is the way it portrays Skull (as the mystery pianist) and his fear that his best friend, Bulk will make fun of him for his love of classical music. It's probably the most real moment we get with the duo until In Space, and it really shows that they've benefited as characters from their long duration with the material.

So in short- if you identify as I do with being a musician, and happen to love Bulk and Skull as well, this episode is probably going to be one of your favorites. If you're not, and you don't....well look below.

Why is the episode not higher on the list?

If it weren't for Bulk and Skull and the musical choices....this episode isn't really all that strong. The reasoning for the bad guys to kidnap Skull (It's Queen Machina's birthday and King Mondo wants to get her a personal musician) is not only ludicrous, but also nowhere near developed enough for you to suspend your disbelief as an audience member.

There's also a lot wrong with the story of this episode. Bulk and Skull are seen in school again, close to their regular clothing...but at this point they've already been junior police officers (and I believe are now detectives.) While it's not exactly a problem for them to still attend school, it just feels really weird for them to be there.

This is also one of the only episodes in the show where Adam gets some real character work, and that's great, but it comes from a teacher deciding that he needs to be more well rounded. Has she watched this show? How many fundraisers, school events, cultural fairs, and community outreach program do these kids have to do in Angel Grove to be well rounded?

How does this episode possibly influence the movie?

Besides having an amazing main cast, made up of All-Stars and newcomers alike, the Power Rangers movie is also sporting a great supporting cast made up from a lot of well known (if lesser known) actors. Bulk and Skull were always the back bone of the show right up through Power Rangers in Space, and we can only hope that the background characters in the movie are as well developed as they are. And hey...we're all still hoping that they somehow make it into this movie right?





NOTE: TICKETS ARE OFFICIALLY ON SALE FOR THE POWER RANGERS MOVIE!

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Also, Becky G, who plays Trini, will be a guest on Wendy Williams tomorrow to promote the movie. Check your local listings for times.

Power Rangers Premier Countdown: 18th Place goes to...

Power Rangers In Space Episode 34: Five of a Kind

Why is this episode one of the best?

As I had brought up earlier in the list, Power Rangers does incredibly well with multi-part episodes. Power Rangers in Space in particular had a great run with its Psycho Ranger episodes, and to be quite honest, this isn't the last Psycho Ranger episode on the list.

What makes the Psychos great is that they have a lot of personality for Power Rangers villains. Sure, Space in general has a lot of great villains, but the Psycho Rangers stood out because they were something very Ranger fan pines for- Evil Rangers.

This episode also shows us a great bit of strategy in the Space Rangers attempt to confuse and take down the Psychos, ending with the destruction of PsychoBlue. This comes in the form of disguising every ranger as the Blue Ranger, and even dressing up Silver Ranger, Zhane, as "PsychoSilver" a fake 6th Psycho Ranger.

We also get a look at TJ's inner monologue a bit, something Space does quite well. Even though TJ got to be leader in the second half of Turbo, his actually leadership ability doesn't really shine until In Space, where he gets to be the team's tactician.

Something is also does quite well is build the growing tension between the Psycho Rangers, Astronema, and Astronema's plans to take down Dark Spectre. (You can even seed Dark Spectre's power draining as evidenced by his red fire turning a darkish-blue.)

Why is this episode not higher on the list?

Space is a fantastic series, but it suffers from a few road bumps due to its limited budget. Most of that is the Sentai footage doesn't always match the personalities of the American cast, as the core Megaranger featured high school students and MegaSilver is fairly removed from Zhane. (MMPR Season 2 had similar problems with Tommy as the White Ranger.)

We see a bit of that weirdness here, especially with Zhane not moving right in to help his friends. (Zhane isn't exactly reserved by any stretch of the imagination.) There's also some gesticulations that just don't fit when the rangers go up against the Psychos.

A weird moment also happens with PsychoBlue chasing the other Psychos off so he can fight PsychoSilver and the rangers himself. I'm not sure if this is handled the same way in Megaranger, but it's a little bit awkward here. PsychoBlue is definitely erratic and crazy, but he's also shown to be just as smart as TJ, and this comes off as out of character.

The main crux of the episode (TJ watching a fight on a tv screen that gets messed up and turned black-and-white) is also a little bit too coincidental. Power Rangers isn't exactly innocent when it comes to glaring plot devices, but this felt a little bit too easy. (Not to mention, how exactly did they disguise the suits to be all blue?)

There's also moments here with Astronema that feel forced. It's more a fault of the script than anything else. Certain bits of lines are repeated as she trails off in certain places.

How does this episode possibly influence the movie?

Rita seems to be borrowing a lot from villains other than Rita in the new movie, including Astronema. (Astronema, at least prior to being brainwashed, often went to fight her own battles, like movie Rita is doing.) There's also the likelihood of Rita being a former ranger, who has gone crazy.

I would love to see some strategic planning as the movie rangers go up against Rita, as they seem to be fairly outmatched, whether that comes from one of them or Zordon or even Alpha.





NOTE: TICKETS ARE OFFICIALLY ON SALE FOR THE POWER RANGERS MOVIE!

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Power Rangers Premier Countdown: 19th place goes to...

Power Rangers Mystic Force Episodes 18-20: Dark Wish

Why is this episode(s) one of the best?

To be fair, we're cheating a little bit with this one, as it's a multi-parter. That is going to be the case with a lot of these as Power Rangers really excels when it gets to have a miniseries/TV movie. Dark Wish was one such event.

The episode portrays the young adults who are the Power Rangers as real people. They've been fighting for 4 months, and they've grown tired of it. They have magic, and they abuse that magic not for personal gain, but to do their jobs. They have access to a genie, but they aren't allowed to use it to wish their enemies away. This grates on them, until the enemies trick them into using that genie, get a wish of their own, and never become the Power Rangers in the first place.

Teaming up with their enemy Koragg to set the world back to the way it was (Koragg having been betrayed by the current enemy general in charge, and along the way forming an amazing truce with friendy troll, Phineas) the rangers head to another dimension atop a dragon, fight a horde of zombie knights, and parlay with a tribunal of magical deities to reverse their wish. When their request is denied, they get sent back to their new, colorless world, and instead of falling into despair without their magic, take a stand against the bad guys.

The tribunal awards their courage by returning their old world to them, and eventually granting them new powers and zords to boot.

Dark Wish exceeds because it is essentially a cinematic story told in three parts for television.

Why is this episode not higher on the list?

For all the good Dark Wish does in one sitting, taking it as separate parts really doesn't do it any favors. While Part 2 is a really engaging episode on its own, and I could have just picked that for 19th place, the plot of the episode doesn't work with just the middle piece.

Part 1 of Dark Wish is unnecessarily slow. The monsters for this episode, the Barbarian Beasts, are extremely forgettable villains. Two of them are subjected to footage burning (i.e. they had dedicated episodes in Super Sentai, but were relegated to cannon fodder for Power Rangers) and two of them, while still effective, are just not fun characters. 50 Below speaks about as fast as Cleveland playing an auctioneer on Family Guy, and Fightoe only becomes useful after being killed and stuffed into a mechanical puppet by Imperious.

Part 3 goes the other way; it's too rushed. The wish is resolved, new form, new megazord, a whole bunch of things happen. Whereas we got some really well choreographed out-of-suit fight scenes in part 2, part 3 falls back into the Disney-era "Lasers!" combat. Essentially, it falls apart a bit because things are wrapped up to fast- more the fault of needing to burn footage than anything else. (Mystic Force is the first season of Power Rangers to have 32 episodes. While the previous seasons came in under 40, having only 32 was a big hit to the series' usage of Sentai footage, and it kind of brought everything down a peg.)

No one is really a wooden character in these episodes, and that's great, but the effects used for some of the original footage are cringe-worthy. (Fireheart animation, you kill me every time.) Power Rangers is by no means expected to have great cgi, but it has certainly had better than that.

How does this episode possibly influence the movie?

Ask a fan of Power Rangers what his favorite thing to see on screen is and you may be surprised at the answer. Sure, we love the suits. We love the weapons. We love the zords. But, the thing we most enjoy is seeing the rangers fighting, without their suits. Civilian fights are something that made Mighty Morphin' a power house; it showed that even without their powers, these kids could save the world.

As the seasons went on, civilian fights were swapped out for the rangers having various super powers. Now that's not a bad thing in and of  itself, but it can seriously hurt an action show when you can't actually land a punch or a kick. (Disney was very against Power Rangers having true martial arts.)

Mystic Force, for these episodes anyway, brought a balance. They had powers, sure, but they needed to rely on their ordinary fighting prowess to get themselves through the battle. That balance is something I'm personally hoping for in the new film, and if the trailers are any indication, they're right on the money.



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