Power Rangers 10-18

[mad_tea_party]

I've been chipping away at the Power Rangers Franchise for a long time. I am really surprised I've not burned out as of yet, especially since August when I completely went full tilt on it. I'm not sure how long it took me to get here to where I am (Season 19 as of this writing), but it doesn't feel like it's been that long. Here are my reviews and thoughts for the last 9 seasons I watched.


Wild Force(season 10)

Okay, okay. Wild Force took more than half the season to grow on me. In fact I can tell you that I only had maybe 3 episodes I really and truly liked and consider favorites. One of the being the obvious crossover (the last one I think) with Time Force. There were a couple of that dealt with Danny and Max’s big bro/little bro relationship. That I really liked.

The crossover with Time Force was much better than the one Lightpeed Rescue had with Time Force the season before. At least with this cross over, we get a proper epilogue for the Time Force Rangers. But being the fangirl of Trip’s that I am, my favorite part was that Trip had a hell of a lot more screen time than Chad had been given in the previous crossover.

There were just some…things that drove me crazy consistently even though I tried to ignore it. There was one thing in particular that got on my nerves. The way they would…I don’t know how to describe it, but those who have seen it will know it this way: They morph and then as they’re doing their roll call and as a group, they jump up and then slap the ground. I know it’s probably an animal thing, and I get that, but it really just drove me nuts.

I think the saving grace for this series for me aside from brotherly love between Max and Danny was Merrick. His whole story with Princess Shayla was great. And I did have two favorite Zords. I loved the elephant and the deer.

Over all, I wouldn’t say I hated the series. It’s just not my favorite. (I will be getting that crossover episode for Trip, though. Fangirls will be fangirls)

Ninja Storm (season 11)

After the sort of so-so season of Wild Force, I am now at the Disney Era series. Ninja Storm is amazing. I mean, as a Power Rangers series there were a lot of things to like. The zords were awesome, and the bad guys? Come on. I really enjoyed watching Lothor and his group. They were more comedic relief than a real threat until the last 3 or so episodes.

It was really unique in the fact that the leader of the bad guys, Lothor was actually the Rangers’ mentor’s twin brother. Therefore making him one of the Rangers, Cam, his nephew.

Of course we’ve seen this before with Astronema being related to Andros. But this time, it felt a bit deeper and more personal, especially when he uses his own nephews powers to bring his “master plan” into being.

Oh, and before I wrap up this review, I’m pretty sure you’re wondering if I had any clear favorites in this series. First let me say that you’ve probably noticed a pattern. With a few exceptions my favorites in have either been Asian or a Green Ranger and in some cases both. All of my friends who know I am doing a rewatch (which has, since In Space, has been a Watch) warned me about Cam. The problem is, no one warned me about Dustin or Blake.
Dustin was just pure fun to watch. His looks reminded me a lot of Ziggy, his personality was very similar to Chip. With a bit of his own, too, of course. He has a lot of heart and he does have a maturity by the end of the series while maintaining his fun personality.

Blake was also very fun. He was originally one of the bad guys, which gave him an edginess that for some reason really intrigued me. When he and his brother eventually joined the Wind Ninja Rangers, we see him and Tori develop a very sweet if not confirmed friendship. I swear those two end up together. I mean, he did ask her to come see him on his tour sometime… lol.

I really and truly did not want this series to end. But I am glad I can revisit it as often as I want. (I purchased it on Amazon Video)
Dino Thunder (Season 12)
Dino Thunder. This series meant a lot to me. First a bit of background. As I mentioned, I “left” the franchise after Turbo due to becoming really busy with IRL. I was familiar with In Space, and I was, as a teenage girl, in love with Andros, but I just never had the time to really sit down and watch it, so I had just let my “career” as a fan of Power Rangers kinda go by the wayside.

Then. 2004 and Dino Thunder hit. I don’t remember how I found out about it. I was pretty damn sure it was boyfriend at the time, but he just informed me today he and I weren’t dating till 2006, so that wasn’t it. It may be he’d told me about it as a friend, though. Not sure. Anyway. This was another case of not having the time to settle down and really enjoy the series as it aired. And actually, I don’t think I watched it as it aired, honestly. I think I watched it on DVD. Hmm. I really don’t remember. I just know I never finished it till now.

Dino Thunder did an amazing job of bring back the core elements that made Mighty Morphin Power Rangers so successful. The kids even had similar personalities to some of the original core rangers. It. was strange for me, I’ll admit, not to have 2 girls on the team.

One of the things I think it did best though, of all the “evil ranger” sagas we’ve had since Green with Evil, was Trent’s arc. Trent had a unique circumstance in that his adoptive father was also the villain, and that added real conflict to his character, even after he joined up with the Rangers. I will just say this. I bet you Jason David Frank mentored Jeffrey Parazzo a little bit on the evil Ranger thing. Trent did it his way, but I swear there were some “Tommy” elements in there. I would say that Jeffrey can really really play evil well. I will look forward to telling him that. HE scared me in some episode as much as Jason David Frank had in his turn as the Evil Green Ranger.

But speaking of JDF…. I did so good with this series. But truthfully, I am kinda glad that he was stuck in the Ranger suit for a whole lot of it because believe it or not, it is still VERY VERY hard to watch him on screen.

And it didn’t hit me until the episode where he’s coming back out of his coma, when he started talking about how tough it was and hanging on, and thanking people, I almost lost it because I am wondering how hard that dialogue was because it’s gotta be that he was dealing with his mental health issues by then. I know it was the character thanking his students and fellow Rangers, but given ths circumstances, I kinda feel like he was talking to his fans too, in some way. Then again I could have been reading into it a bit much.

Then I nearly lost it again at the end because it was gonna be last time on screen as Tommy. I was told that he comes back two more times to the franchise but I am yet unsure if these are full rules or voice. Either way, it was still bitter sweet.

I am glad I finally finished it. Up next is another “new to me” show.

SPD (Season 13)
SPD was one of the shows I was a little bit Iffy about. I was really concerned due to how Lightspeed Rescue had been.

Thankfully, this is the Disney era now, and they actually ramped up their game. Thank goodness.

SPD had so many things to like. Awesome never before seen Rangers, aliens and humans actually hanging out (yes yes, I know. Andros was a space alien. But these are different type aliens). And probably the first time thus far we’ve seen a Ranger in the actual franchise that could arguably be considered to be on the autism spectrum.

Zord mechanics for this series were kinda unique, too. Not only did the heros have zords, their actual headquarters turned into a megazord. That was so cool to me. Though of course I always wondered where the “safety” zones were for the people who were working every time that Doggie Cruger engaged it. LOL.

The series was far from perfect, but I really enjoyed it. The charcters all had some semblance of growth and that’s always fun to see. I will say that I enjoyed the story of Commander Cruger and having to deal with his past. That kind of stuff always adds depth to a series.

All in all, SPD was a solid series in my books.

Mystic Force (Season 14)

I can’t remember the first time I saw this show. I can tell you the last time I saw the majority of it was in August 2024 before and during Power Morphicon. That said, I have seen this series in particular 2 and a half times. Before RPM came along and overtook it as my favorite series in the franchise, Mystic Force became my favorite after the initial Mighty Morphin arc (which I consider MMPR, Zeo, and Turbo all one series with different seasons, and I know that’s not technically correct given that Zeo, and Turbo have separate season DVDs)

What’s not to like? Magic, mythology, demons? And one very amazing Australian. See, like with most series so far, Mystic Force immediately had me the minute Xander Bly opened his mouth. His personality is hilarious and there is definite growth of his character by the time the season ends. In more recent watches, I’ve kinda honed in on Chip Thorn. Now I will be honest, I gave Chip a second and third look after I read an article written by Nic Sampson (Who played Chip) where he discusses how he came to appreciate what was essentially a summer job for him years ago. It touched me so deeply to see him realize how the franchise as a whole has affected so many people.

Operation Overdrive (Season 15)

Okay you guys. I had been quasi dreading this season due to everything negative I’d heard about it. Someone, no names mentioned here, had said I would like it just because no one else does. Well. They’re only slightly wrong. I did like it. A lot, actually. But not because everyone else hated it. I don’t go by everyone else’s status quo. I go by my own criteria. It has to be entertaining (my standards of entertaining, not what everyone else thinks of as entertaining), it has to be engaging, and the cast has to have chemistry. Overdrive actually checks all of the boxes for me. And then some. Because it did have a unique Power Rangers take.

I am huge fan of Indiana Jones movies, and an even bigger Librarians fan, and that’s what this series basically reminded me of. They even have said in the past this is a love letter to Indiana Jones. But due to the quirky characters, the one liners, the gags? It reminded me much more of The Librarians.
I liked that they continued the villians going against each other trend that we’ve been seeing. I liked even more that there was more that one villain sect. My favorite bad guys were the Fearcats. I liked the story and having them tied to Tyzonn’s past was a nice touch.

Miratrix and Kamdor were interesting as a pair. The two “main” villians, Flurious and Moltor reminded me of the Heat and Snow Miser from the Rankin Bass holiday specials. Because of that I really couldn’t take them as serious threats as I could the Fearcats or Kamdor and Miratrix.

The series is not without it’s flaws, but for me? It’s not nearly as bad as everyone claimed it to be. I will never understand why people hold this franchise up to such high standards. I view the series through the lense of an escape. The show doesn’t have to be perfect. Not every season is going to be a favorite, but I honestly find myself really appreciating the Disney era a lot more than I expected to.

And before I wrap up this particular review, we need to talk about the theme song. Now I know there are people saying that Ron Wasserman is the God of Power Rangers music, and honestly I agree with that. However. This theme song was such a bop for me, it actually made me so excited to watch the show it belonged to. It was unique compared to others that sound the same to me.

Jungle Fury (Season 16)
So I flew blind on this one. I didn’t look anything up. I didn’t ask for anyone’s opinions on it. It turned out to be the right thing to do. I was able to form a non-biased or tainted opinion. And what is that opinion?

Jungle Fury is a solid entry in the Power Rangers Franchise. It felt authentic, and not forced. The writing was decent, the acting was good (not perfect), and of course the story itself was decent. I’m not going to lie. It did give off similar vibes to Ninja Storm. The school, the teachers, and while Sensei Wantanabe didn’t become a Ranger, his son, Cam, did, and in my personal headcanon, Cam was an assistant “sensei” of sorts.

I really really liked RJ. RJ was a different take on the mentor/master relationship with the Rangers. A bit casual and laid back. He became a Ranger. And I love that he wasn’t like Commander Cruger and being Over Powered. He had weaknesses and he relied on the team as a whole. And they definitely did work better together.

I am glad I am doing this watch because I am discovering shows that I would’ve never attempted before. And of course we know I’ve had my favorites.

RPM (Season 17)
FINALLY! I technically did not rewatch this one in rotation either because like with Mystic Force, I had recently finished it. However, I did go back and rewatch all of my favorite Ziggy moments and the Boom Twins (Gem and Gemma). RPM was the second non-Zordon series I finished in full after Mystic Force, and I have my friend Jodi to thank for it.
I had first started RPM a while back when I was a part of a journaling RP group. She’d noted I was into dystopians and I was into Power Rangers again at the time because of the 2017 movie. So she’d suggested Power Rangers RPM which at the time was on Netflix. So watched a few episodes and the first muse I got was Dillon. It’s weird when I say that now because he’s not one of my strongest ones from that series.

I went back to finish it in September after having met Milo (pronounced in New Zeland as Mee-lo) Cawthorne (Ziggy), at Power Morphicon. Indeed, I’d actually watched a couple of episodes that weekend as it happened that Ziggy’s solo back story episode was next for me. I finished watching after the con, and I have been slightly obsessed ever since. Obsessed with one Ziggy Grover, that is.
Of all of my reviews this one is definitely gonna come off biased and fangirly, and you know something? That’s okay. But before I go off into fangirl land, let’s talk about the technical stuff.

The writing for RPM is top notch. While this might not have been a series that Disney wanted to make (the contract required it, even though they wanted to end it at Jungle Fury), they did really pull out stops for it writing wise. The cool thing about RPM is that the Super Sentai series it was based on, Go-Onger, was a comedic series. They were able to splice together footage that was actually supposed to be funny into more a serious manner. That was brilliant.
The other thing that was unique about RPM is one particular episode that they did. Episode 23 which was called, “And…Action!” was not an episode proper, but a behind the scenes look at Power Rangers for the first time in the franchise. The episode was made better for me by the fact that Ziggy was the host. The actors stayed in character throughout the entire episode and this could be seen as an entire episode where the 4th wall is broken.
Speaking of 4th wall breaks… there is another episode where Power Rangers actually picks on itself. It’s not the whole episode but a particular scene where Ziggy questions the Morphing Sequence effects, while Flynn demands to know why they have morphing calls. It’s the first time we get an answer that I would’ve never thought of. Kudos Dr. K for bringing that my head canon for the rest of my fan girl career.

And speaking of Dr. K. (Here comes the fangirling. You’ve been warned!). My favorite component of this entire series was the growing friendship (and in my headcanon, relationship) between Ziggy and Dr. K. This is why, back when I reviewed Lightspeed Rescue I had so much trouble with Joel/Ms. Fairweather. The way the dynamic between Ziggy and Dr. K was written was much better. It was gradual, Ziggy wasn’t trying to go out with her, he was trying to be friends with her. It was like he could sense what she needed. And Dr. K in turn, realized why Ziggy actually annoyed her. He represented something missing from her life and I think that helped in her realizing that things that annoyed her the most are what made her love him the most, later.

All in all, RPM was one of the strongest series in the Disney era in my head, only second to Time Force. But those two series can’t be compared because they’re completely different.

Let me circle back one last time to muses. Remember when I said Dillon was not my strongest muse from RPM? Well, the truth is, if you haven’t guessed it yet, I have found that I gravitated to Ziggy in every way possible. Dillon is still the broody boy in the back of my mind, but Ziggy is a presence I need in my life amongst all the negative. (Milo Cawthorne, by the way, basically IS Ziggy, and they couldn’t have cast him better).

Samurai (Season 18)
Power Rangers Samurai. What can I say? I remember when this one was announced, too. I don’t remember what I felt about it at the time. I think I knew it was Saban again, and I remember being happy that Saban had the rights back even if I hadn’t seen any of the Disney era at the time.
When I reached this series, some friends of mine told me it was okay to skip it and MegaForce. I decided not to do that. And it’s paid off. I ended up with 2 new muses to add to my Ranger collection. Mike and Antonio. Mike is great. I like his easy going personality. And his fierce loyalty to his friends.

Antonio…he reminds me very much of the Zack from the 2017 Power Rangers movie and his actor? He could be Jeffrey Parazzo’s twin or at least his brother. His character, on the other hand? Puts Trent to shame. He’s super strong. I love him as the gold ranger, and he’s just so fun. He and Mike can be my friends all day long.
With that out of the way, there are things about the series that are a little….off? You can tell they had different writers for instance because there were a lot of cheesy lines here. And I don’t agree with people who have said on various Reddit posts that the acting is bad. I think there are some things that just came out cheesy, but the lines were the problem, not the actors.

My other problem with this series is a bit more minor. The theme song remix. Now. I think it’s really great, and it totally does pump me up. My problem is not with the song itself, but with the fact that Saban still hasn’t learned his lesson about crediting original composer, Ron Wasserman. He was the original composer of the Power Rangers theme song and in this series, they remixed it. This is nowhere in the credit that he is credited with the original composition. That will never be okay with me because an artist should always be credited for their work. And Ron definitely gave the Power Rangers their unique sound. It’s been imitated but never ever duplicated.

We have one more part of this series, and I am eager to get to it to see how it finishes out.