Week of RangerBar 6: Coming Home Again

Despite it looking for certain that the longtime location in Tacoma would be gone by now, we were back for what was set to be a much more slimmed down WORB around another huge 4th.

TUESDAY ⏭ I got to RangerBar HQ at 9:00 as Batz and Tron were underway with "Master Vile's Villain Ball." Mag-Num & her friend joined and then Micah, making his first RangerBar event in several years. It was a great kickoff night as always, as we hungout, feasted on pizza and played a Power Rangers Spin Fighters game while Lightspeed Rescue played on the TVs.

WEDNESDAY ⏭ We headed out for this years afternoon shopping, stopping in a couple places around Tacoma including the new Tricky's location. I picked up a Power Rangers Lightning Collection Tenga and Cog at Memory Lane Toys I was surprised I hadn't been in before. After getting got some grub at Indo Asian, we hungout and played video games at Waterland Arcade. Mona soon joined us and after it was time to close, we got burgers at Dicks Drive-In. Batz, Tron and myself then settled in a room at a Sheraton, very reminiscent of Power Morphicon.

THURSDAY ⏭ We arrived at an airbnb in Burien and the guys got underway prepping for a RangerBar Bayou themed dinner, which included alligator polboys and sausage gumbo. Eventually, Me0w, her kiddo, Lil Sorbo, Mag-Num and her roommate joined the festivities. Meanwhile, Batz put on Gator (1976), which it turned out was a sequel to White Lightning (1973), starring Burt Reynolds as an ex-convict. The night wrapped up with the 90s buddy police flick Delta Heat, while I was just glad to have a bed to myself after not budging from the couch most of the evening.

4TH OF JULY ⏭ We got back to RangerBar and I put on the classic ET to kill time as preparations for the "RangerBarBQ Battle Royale" were underway. Topping WORB5, Batz had arranged for this years wresting extravaganza to be right in the middle of Opera Alley a few blocks away. In all, there were 6 matchups before the final royal rumble with Jawbone Puppet Theatre providing a backdrop and acting as mascots each time a wrestler came out. Batz also rented out an old bar for the evening, which acted as a lounge, had all the food/drinks, and 3 bands performed. The crowd was mainly a mix of friends/family of the wrestlers and band members, plus the usual RangerBar crew. The 3 of us then shared a room at McMenimans for the night.

WEEKEND ⏭ A pretty lazy afternoon ended as we left RangerBar and headed to Emerald Queen Casino to takeover a room suite for the night. Mag-Num and Shock Top Steve joined as Jawbone Puppet Theatre put on a great show s we enjoyed leftover snacks from the 4th. Once the puppet show was over and it was just the 3 of us, Batz and I got in a game of Mario Party Jamboree on Switch. 

After another afternoon at RangerBar, we headed out for Montesano, first stopping at Tacoma Boys Markets and WinCo Foods so Tron could get ready for Monday. We arrived at the airbnb Batz had gotten several time before and it was a pretty chill evening. We had oven ready pizza & snacks, and while the guys fell asleep to the TV, I got in some time on YouTube.

MONDAY/FINALE ⏭ Batz setup the Sega Retro Gaming Stick chock full of games (including all the old PR and sentai ones). The guys eventually got busy prepping for "Tron's Legend of the White Dragon Dinner" - a culinary journey through Jason David Frank's life as a Power Ranger - from the Cybertron pilot to Dimensions in Danger. A few others including one of the house co-owners joined us. Despite not doing all the planned courses, there were still 6. Later, in another WORB tradition, Batz fixed Tron and I ice cream sundaes. Since I wasn't cooking, I took the opportunity off-and-on throughout the day and before I went to bed to get in time with Legend of  Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom I've been playing on Switch.

We left the airbnb at noon Tuesday and eventually got an Uber to Fleet Park. We spent a few hours there as we tried to figure out how we were getting home, made difficult with the lack of rideshare available. Meanwhile, Tron picked up some burgers as I enjoyed perfect summer weather. We finally took a local free bus to Olympia, and a Lyft to Tacoma. We dropped off Tron to catch his late evening flight, and I caught the light rail, getting home around 10:15.

It was definitely a more lowkey week than past years, reminiscent of WORB2 (the first at the Tacoma HQ) when it was just Batz, Tron, myself + Kabuki Kelsey. This being my first vacation in 2 years (after missing last Power Morphicon) made the week especially nice. And as is often the case, Batz puts on stuff to watch I hadn't seen before (but should) like Photon  - a sort of 80s scifi precursor to Power Rangers (by DIC who also produced Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad). Who knows where we'll be having WORB7, but at least by then the Disney+ PR reboot should be underway.

A Fond Farewell to The CW

Around the end of 2010 I looked back on the first 15 years with The WB/CW (check it out here). Now here we are, another 15 later with Superman & Lois ending last December leaving me with no reason to watch the network anymore.

As talked about previously, it all started in 1995 with the first show I was into, Unhappily Ever After (Essentially the beginning of what would become a huge year for all things entertainment, I'll get into in a future post). Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the first must-see niche shows, and I still fondly remember how big of a deal some of the earlier story plots were, like Kendra the Vampire Slayer arriving and Angel losing his soul. Like Buffy, 7th Heaven and Roswell I also wasn't watching when they premiered but would get into later. I was also a fan of Popstars, the OG music reality competition spanning 2 seasons. Buffy would end in 2003 with what I'd call the first major series finale.

Aside from 7th Heaven's extra season after what was intended to be the last episode, it was business as usual with Smallville and Everybody Hates Chris as The CW made its debut in fall 2006. I usually didn't care to give new shows a chance especially with American Idol sometimes taking up 2.5-3 hours of primetime, and being only able to DVR one program, while I watch another. So as was the case with Smallville in fall 2004, I really needed to be persuaded. I came upon Gossip Girl during the winter 2007 writers strike and taking a quick interest in the cast, soon began catching up on season 1, watching through summer. In 2010, I was talked into checking out The Vampire Diaries, quickly becoming one of my favorites heading into season 2.

2011 marked the end for Smallville, and following Hellcats, more shows that would roll through I liked but would only last a year, including The Secret Circle and Sarah Michelle Gellar's return in Ringer. Something much bigger was on the horizon though with the fall 2012 premiere of Arrow, quickly becoming one my top shows alongside TVD, while Gossip Girl wrapped at the end of the year. As Arrow soon began making way for Flash, TVD would finally expand with The Originals. Along with Flash, the 2014-15 season would see RPM Yellow Ranger Rose McIver in iZombie, a fun, quirky show taking place in Seattle. 

Arrowverse would continue to expand with Legends of Tomorrow - a nice mashup of familiar characters and new to the Arrowverse - followed by Supergirl coming off its first season on CBS. With shows being renewed practically every year, it wasn't too often when something actually ended, but in March 2017 it became time to say goodbye to TVD, in whats forever my favorite non-Arrowverse finale.

Early 2018 would see Black Lightning enter the lineup. While not part of Arrowverse originally, it was cool having another superhero that felt a bit more mature that the others. And things would only get bigger with The Originals spinning off into the future with Legacies and a new take on Roswell would arrive midseason, helping further make most of my free time revolve around the schedule (more on that at the bottom). Not necessarily one of my favorite shows, I always liked that the Roswell reboot had a cast largely comprised of actors from other CW shows.

As iZombie wrapped up 5 seasons, Arrowverse would soon get another superhero with Batwoman before the entire multiverse would be turned upside down in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Oliver's end had arrived in a wonderful final sendoff I'd just barely nudge above Smallville (more below). Following the pandemic, 2021 would become the first year of the TV season going straight through summer with Superman & Lois kicking off, while Stargirl would make its season 2 debut as a CW show in August. I loved how different it was - often feeling cinematic with epic fight sequences -  easily making it one of the top shows I enjoyed most in the multiverse. The year would see Arrowverse (and my viewership) finally start to thin out with the conclusions of Black Lighting and Supergirl.

As the network overhaul started to take shape, 2022 would see a number of shows cancelled with last episodes that varied. Legacies definitely was the best, paying homage to the world established in TVD/Originals. The fall would be spent with the final season of Stargirl, as well as Tom Welling starring in Professionals. Come summer, time was up for Flash, plus I caught Gotham Knights - kind of a swan song of the old CW. Riverdale was always a bit too weird for me but I did enjoy catching some of the final season and final episodes as well. Likewise, Supernatural was never really my thing, but I caught the finale (after the show concluded in late 2020) alongside watching a handful of some of the fun, quirky episodes from over the years.

It was a great run, and not having any of these shows around has finally got me to catch everything I never got to before like CBS's The Flash - a great history lesson on how the OGs did it - from special effects to villains of the week I'd come to know in Arrowverse.  Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (which I'd come across here and there but couldn't commit to watching when it aired) will be soon, not to mention I'm due to finally sit down and watch Titans. I never watched Syfy's Krypton, but will likely check out HBO's Lanterns in 2026. Through it all, Smallville continues to be around in some form, with the TalkVille Podcast launching in 2022 right around as I had finished rewatching season 10, plus there's still the animated project Welling and Rosenbaum hope to do. I'll also likely start to revisit the Buffyverse again someday, especially if the upcoming reboot is successful. 

One last look and ranking the multiverse finales:

Arrow 
Smallville 
Superman & Lois / Stargirl
Supergirl / Black Lightning 
Batwoman  
Legends of Tomorrow
The Flash 

You can't really top Arrow which did more than I could've asked to tie up the show and character development, filled with Arrowverse cast and cameos, that I'd rank it above all else. Smallville celebrated the series legacy like no other, but kind of cut corners which most later finales didn't. 

Superman & Lois and Stargirl ended their shows with climactic movie-like final battles and heartfelt sendoffs. I have to appreciate Superman & Lois going above and beyond, taking a similar route to TVD, and Stargirl really going all out including the multiverse final surprise cameo.

Supergirl had a pretty solid finale with the final battle, focusing on Kara and calling back to the shows beginning. Plus I really enjoyed Black Lightning's sendoff and closure, making it kind of tough to say goodbye to. Batwoman had a decent end, wrapping up the season playing it safe with a nod to the series.

Legends of Tomorrow wrapped up the season fine but ended on a cliffhanger - a poor choice but at least was after an awesome 100th episode. That leaves Flash, which had too much not work in its favor being forced to end before the movie release. Barry and the team taking down the resurrected villains (with no homage to the entire Arrowverse) wasn't a very good way to end on, which would turn out to be the proposed plot for a 200th episode.

 

MOST WATCHED SHOWS BY TV SEASON

2006-07 ⏭

7th Heaven, Everybody Hates Chris, Smallville
2007-08 ⏭

Gossip Girl, Everybody Hates Chris, Smallville
2008-09 ⏭

Gossip Girl, Everybody Hates Chris, Smallville
2009-10 ⏭

Gossip Girl, Smallville
2010-11 ⏭

Gossip Girl, Hellcats, TVD, Smallville 
2011-12 ⏭

Gossip Girl, Ringer, TVD, The Secret Circle
2012-13 ⏭

Gossip Girl, Arrow, TVD
2013-14 ⏭

The Originals, Arrow, TVD 
2014-15 ⏭

The Originals, Arrow, The Flash, iZombie, TVD
2015-16 ⏭

The Originals, Arrow, The Flash, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, TVD
2016-17 ⏭

The Originals, Arrow, The Flash, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, TVD
2017-18 ⏭

The Originals, Arrow, The Flash, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning
2018-19 ⏭

Legacies, Arrow, The Flash, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Roswell
2019-20 ⏭

Legacies, Arrow, The Flash, Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Roswell
2020-21 ⏭

Legacies, Superman & Lois, The Flash, Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Roswell
2021-22 ⏭

Legacies, Superman & Lois, The Flash, Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, Stargirl, Roswell
2022-23 ⏭

Gotham Knights, Superman & Lois, The Flash, Professionals, Stargirl
2024 ⏭

Superman & Lois

Looking Back (Again): Power Rangers Zeo

Although the DVDs have been around for so long now, I was never in any hurry to rewatch Zeo, having previously gone back through my Fox Kids recordings in the 00s and using them (along with encodes from mIRC) for a music video tribute (link). I'm not entirely sure if it was trouble with the VCR, not realizing there was a new episode (or both), but there were a couple episodes I never taped or saw until later, including "MONDO'S LAST STAND" through"THE LORE OF AURIC." So watching the DVDs was really the first time seeing the entire season on an actual TV.

First up - the Zeo Serials - I don't think I saw much of beforehand other than about the last 2 and probably an earlier one. I was excited for what was happening with the machine invasion as "Unleashing the Power" played and the logo formed. The original Saturday and Tuesday broadcast of "A ZEO BEGINNING" included the teaser which I still have. It was a great new beginning for the show, however also the start of a lot of weird/questionable plot points. For one thing, they made it look like Zordon was gone in Part 1 (and I freaked), only to then continue the scene in Part 2, revealing that he was fine.

We then pretty much settled into focus eps centered on the Rangers combined with OhRanger footage. I liked getting up Saturdays to watch it at 10:30, however I was often not real confident the episode would be that exciting, not helped by what I'd consider Zeo's worst episode, "INVASION OF THE RANGER SNATCHERS" with "A FEW BAD SEEDS" a close second. Cycling through the same footage of Mondo & co. was also a far step down from Rita and Zedd in the palace. At least we had Billy's episodes and although it was kind of dragged out, I liked they went to the mountains alongside the Tommy and Kat focus. And even if the eps weren't great, I loved continuing to hear "Unleashing the Power" and the main theme as part of an awesome soundtrack. I'd say Zeo is still my favorite adapted morph sequence too.

Following Tommy's quest, we had a batch of pretty good Bulk, Tanya and Adam eps before the Gold Ranger arc got underway. It was quite unprecedented, a new Ranger from another planet with their own awesome theme. Definitely the most excited I was since Alien Rangers, however the mood would soon get kind of spoiled with the missed episodes. Looking back, yeah, it was ridiculous the gold powers wouldn't accept Billy but then we got Jason back I thought was cool at the time.

It's kind of tough to say what my favorite ep would be now but I'd have to go with the "KING FOR A DAY" two-partner, which was pretty unique from the rest of the season and I liked how they did the whole brainwashing Tommy. Plus this was back when using hoards of monsters (some from previous episodes or never used in the show prior) was still fairly new. 

When Billy was written out, it was again odd how Yost never returned (not to mention Billy's goodbye tech difficulties) but back then, it never crossed my mind he didn't leave on good terms, and I did like we got the teamup out of it. Meanwhile, I enjoyed the subplot of Rita and the gang running around in the RV, ultimately making one last attempt for the gold powers before the standoff with the machines, and ending the season putting them outta commission. Besides that, the Rangers growing giant in the final battle was complete foolishness especially after using zord footage for Mondo's first defeat. At the time, I think my mind was all over the place about where the show was going next (and whether Rita & Zedd were actually back) before "Power Rangers Turbo" was name dropped in a Totally Kids Magazine.

It was a crazy, exciting time for the show - a leveled up MMPR changing things up, for better or worse. I'd say the Treys/Gold Ranger is still my favorite 6th Ranger storyarc along with probably Quantum Ranger but it was tough getting through the first half to get there. I could easily notice the little things now, I didn't really pay attention to back in the day. So while it's still classic PR, it's tough to top season 3, putting Zeo a couple notches lower but still above seasons 1 and 2.

 

 

PRCF Wrap-up: Master Class (+ Season Rankings!)

When it comes to season ending cliffIhangers PR had over the years I'd put Dino/Cosmic Fury third after Alien Rangers/Zeo and Turbo/In Space. Kicking things off, it was great seeing things play out after the big opening scene that came out in advance. I really got to like how they did Squid Ink Inc, utilizing footage/monsters from KyuRanger and tossing in some from other sentai. I just wish their had been more time for the zords than just throwing them all in at the get go. Nice throwback to Zordnia plus gotta note how modern PR, without civilian fights, had Billy use the Lunar Lance in one episode more than basically all of MMPR. >_> Not to mention, how quickly Zedd was now willing to get his hands dirty and do things himself. Pretty awesome how the Dinohenge statues were destroyed.

With a lot happening offscreen , I thought they handled the bigger picture pretty well with cameos from Commander Shaw, in addition to Billy around and Mick recurring. Loved how Heckyl returned. Also liked how they utilized the Dino Fury cast including Slyther and Mucus being human once more. It felt like they were checking everything off a board, from Billy's classic dialogue to the girl power zord battle, and squeezing in the Cosmic Fury Blaster. 

"A countdown... to destruction?!"

Throughout the duration of watching this over several weeks, I was pretty glad I avoided spoilers mostly staying off X/Twitter. I did know about Morphin Master Zayto but it was kind of obvious they were building up to it. For a minute there, I thought Zedd's master plan was gonna be turning into Don Armage. Definitely didn't see becoming a Master coming, or Bajillia using him as a pawn. Plus using the Master Captivator to force a reverse Z-Wave, some great surprises to the storyarc which I loved in the old days (see rankings below). As soon as "Zayto" appeared to Aiyon in the void with blue eyes I knew it had to be Zordon, a great bookend for the show, while leaving the door open (but as all we know, it's not looking good). If there had been more time, would we have gotten an identities reveal a la In Space or perhaps Izzy and Javie telling their parents?

The returning Megazords was a great way of having other teams come to help - I was prepared we weren't gonna see much of on screen - if at all. Of course you have MMPR and recent teams, still very much around, while it's fun to imagine the Space Rangers still defending Angel Grove. Bringing back Galaxy Megazord was a bit of a surprise but it's pretty cool this follows being part of the captured Rangers in "ONCE & ALWAYS." The others in the cockpit besides Minh and Billy would've been nice but to end 30 years on this note was pretty awesome. And having another evil Ranger storyarc... Kai Moya was AWESOME and while I wasn't too bothered by the design of the CF suits, Ollie's corrupted DF suit was miles better. Fern becoming a Ranger (with a hand from Solon) was also nicely done.

So I'd say they covered every era of the show here, intentional or not. In addition to the SPD shoutout, Zayto suggesting Zedd could be redeemed someday was kind of  Disney-ish, while "nightmare Rita" felt like something outta Mystic Force/Overdrive. I mean, they  could've tried harder with that. Trapped in the nightmare, I felt like Zedd reverted to post-Wedding but they were apparently still not married. Doing this to rid of him once and for all was pretty good I thought, especially how much more of a force Zedd had become. There wasn't really a way for him to power up and not flat out kill the CF team without some Super Mega crossover.

In the end, aside from the lackluster handling of the zords, there's not much else I can be critical about, but I was kind of surprised at how bad some of the voice acting was. I wish the Zentinals had sounded more like Cogs, while the MOTDs especially in "ROCK OUT" were awful. Billy's instamorph with Heckyl was cool plus updating the morph again, but they pretty much had him off the side during group morphs. And with how long Scrozzle was around, I wish there had been a bit of closure than to leave it up to the viewer.

4/5 "BEYOND REPAIR" thru "ROCK OUT" and 5/5 for the rest.

SEASON RANKINGS

(1) RPM 

(2) DinoThunder 

(3) In Space 

(4) Lost Galaxy 

(5) Time Force 

(6) Season 3/Alien Rangers

(7) Lightspeed Rescue 

(8) Wild Force 

(9) Dino Fury

(10) Ninja Storm 

(11) Zeo 

(12) Cosmic Fury 

(13) Season 2  

(14) Beast Morphers 

(15) Dino Charge

(16) Season 1 

(17) Mystic Force 

(18) SPD 

(19) Jungle Fury 

(20) Turbo

(21) Operation Overdrive

(22) Megaforce

(23) Samurai

(24) Ninja Steel

 

Few thoughts on alternate MMPR DOTD

After seeing Adrian Carr's recent uploaded version of "DAY OF THE DUMPSTER" I couldn't help but wish it had been the one that aired. Between the first PMC way back in 2007, and around 11 years since I last watched the entire first season, I had forgotten Tony Oliver screened the chili scene, and the beginning of it ended up as the ending in "BIG SISTERS." But finally seeing the full episode, I thought it worked much better than the karate lesson we got instead, which was basically taken from "DARK WARRIOR."

I also really liked that there was a bit more ZyuRanger footage of Rita establishing her return before starting the attack on Earth. The first Putty fight wasn't all that different but originally was longer I thought was cool. We also get a completely different shot of the teens being teleported out of the Juice Bar for the first time and a third version of the original morphing sequence! Also one of the biggest surprises, this version used the Goatan zord fight from "LIONS AND BLIZZARDS" (called "Two-Headed Terror" here). I'm assuming that was changed to a fight with Goldar to raise the stakes a bit more for the premiere than to just use a standard monster. Even after 30 years, it's great to still be surprised by the show.

Looking Back: Power Rangers RPM

Awhile back I finished an RPM rewatch and I gotta say unlike some of the other Disney seasons, the experience watching it again 13+ years later wasn't much different. Coming off of Jungle Fury, I thought for sure RPM would continue on the Toon Disney/Disney XD network, but with ABC Kids ultimately airing the episodes (which many affiliates didn't do, including my own), 2009 would become the only year I'd rely entirely on weekly uploads. I still remember when we knew hardly anything about the season other than the name, the sentai... and then a trailer suddenly appeared one day in February in place of any official promotion. This was up right there with DinoThunder & SPD in excitement level, and pretty much the last time it would ever be like this going into a new season. It paid off with an awesome 3 part premiere, which was kind of surprising with only 32 episodes.

The ball got rolling with mostly great focus episodes. It's funny looking back on a time when the cast was entirely unknown, especially Rose McIver and Adelaide Kane. "RANGER YELLOW" wasn't well liked but I enjoyed Summer's 2 part backstory. "RANGER RED" I could never get that into with a minuscule budget gone into the CGI aircraft footage - one of the few times in RPM I gave an episode a 3/5. Needless to say, I gave a lot of 5's and have pretty much always considered "RANGER BLUE" and "DOCTOR K" my favorite episodes. I still love how they made the Go-Onger van into "Project GO-ONGER" (the vans death notwithstanding >_>). Venjix getting physical bodies was also great to watch play out. Gem and Gemma started out annoying but soon got some good focus episodes splitting them up with others.

Part of the buildup to RPM and watching it unfold was of course the behind the scenes drama. "BELLY OF THE BEAST" always felt like a big midseason finale which marked Eddie Guzelian's last episode. Before the season began, I wondered how things would go with the EP switchover & Jackie Marchand leaving, but it wasn't all that different after Chip Lynn took over, especially with John Tellegen still around, who I assumed was free to carry on some of the stuff that was planned like the introduction of the PaleoMax and the conclusion of Ziggy/Scorpion Cartel. Dillon reuniting with Tenaya and losing her again was done pretty well, similar to Andros/Astronema. Doing a behind the scenes but in character mashup episode was odd but something was gonna happen to save money quickly. I was a little more annoyed with "IF VENJIX WON," which aisde from the Ziggy/K focus I enjoyed throughout the season, had a rather lame clip show plot. Not much else I can be critical about but they kind of forced the General Shifter betrayal to use more Go-Onger footage.

"DANGER AND DESTINY" was obviously much different than what we know about Eddie's "RANGER BLACK" which it seems would've had something like Venjix fulfilling his master plan in taking Dillon's body and the Rangers forced with having to kill him. I always liked how Chip split the Rangers up and we got a nice bookend to Scott, Summer and Flynn. I was never that into "deleting" Gem and Gemma only to have them come back but the way they returned and dropped the command center on Venjix  was one of the best finale moments of the Disney era. It was just too bad I pretty much knew about it by the time I watched the encode a few days later.

RPM was quite unprecedented delivering morphinominal storylines, cast, focus episodes and humor. Forever at the top with DinoThunder for the best of the best. Sure, it's not really a season you'd show to someone who has never watched PR but for longtime fans, it was awesome. Plus, the Evox/Venjix reveal and using the same voice is still one of my favorite things in 30 years especially in that long decade of the show many would probably rather pretend didn't exist.

 

Week of RangerBar 5: Shifting Into Turbo

It was time for RangerBar to turn things up a notch, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the original conception as an online toolbar, the first WORB since before Covid and what would be the final one at RangerBar HQ in downtown Tacoma, WA. 

SUNDAY ⚡ I metup with Batz and Tron in Federal Way around 4:00 on Day 2 in the midst of "Shop til You Drop." We drove around stopping in Retro Emporium in Kent, Al's Music and then headed to Waterland Arcade in Des Moines Batz had reserved a few hours. As he picked up several hotdogs next door, the first to arrive was Cora, making her first RangerBar event in about 5 years. Me0w, her kiddo & Lil Sorbo soon came, as well as Joose with some of her kids. After it was time for Waterland to close, we headed to #The80sTimeCapsule airbnb in Kent - a great basement apartment nostalgic trip through time. Batz put on Hunter for the "Fred Dryer Dinner" and then a Vernon Wells flick for the "Unsung Heros of Action Tribute" as we enjoyed the hot dogs, drinks and hungout.

MONDAY ⚡ Batz, Tron and myself left the airbnb and headed to basically Chinese Costco and a few other stops like WinCo Foods so Tron could get ready for a big night of cooking. Also got lunch at Burger Express in Federal Way. Later that afternoon, we settled in a Tacoma airbnb and Batz put on Christmas music for "Cosmic Fury 1/2 Christmas." As he ran errands and Tron began setting up, Team RangerBar started to trickle in, including Austin, Cora, Batz' stepdad and Me0w & co. It was a great feast as Tron served up 8 courses in his culinary tour through RangerBar history. I also showed off the "SlutRanger Action Figure" (custom figures through the Hasbro Selfie Series). That night Batz put on a WORB staple, the Tom Hanks flick Mazes and Monsters.

4TH OF JULY ⚡ We got back to RangerBar and Batz immediately went to work beginning to set things up for RangerBar's big "Welcome to the Pleasure Dome!" wresting event and BBQ. Meanwhile, Tron and I grabbed lunch next door at Red Star Taco Bar and I killed time on YouTube. As the afternoon rolled on, an entire wresting ring was setup in the building and 7 wrestlers in all would gradually arrive. As it got closer to 6:00 most of the RangerBar crew came out as well as some of Batz' family members in addition to people from the building who helped put it all together. The show lasted about an hour and consisted of 3 matches. Batz had me (as SlutRanger) create the wrestlers by having figures/toys placed into my invention - a "monster-matic hybrid," with Lil Sorbo handling machine lights & wrestlers walk-on music and MC Smith bringing over the toy for each wrestler. He kept things interesting even adding a surprise twist in a middle of a match after a wrestler was created from a DinoThunder Ranger figure.

Afterwards, mostly everyone branched off to mingle, hangout and local band Just Like My Wife performed a few songs as the grill got going. It's always fun to reminisce, as Me0w and I chatted about Mutant Chat and Lexcon for a bit, and Shock Top Steve & Austin handed out wedding invites earlier. Someone from the building had fireworks  but I don't care much for them. At the end of the night, Batz, Tron, MC and myself tried to get some sleep in RangerBar.

WEDNESDAY ⚡ Tron grabbed lunch for us at Red Star and it was a lowkey afternoon until we headed out to a lake house airbnb in Olympia. Batz put on the  "Cajun Country & Music Festival" and set out several flavors of Zapps "New Orleans style" kettle chips I dived into but soon Tron got us Red Robin pizza. The airbnb had an Xbox and the 4 of us just took it easy and got in a few rounds of Fortnite.

THURSDAY ⚡ While Batz was out, I pretty much spent the afternoon on Switch Animal Crossing. Later, he did the "Michael Pare Ice Cream Parlay" and served me up a massive sundae. Cora, Shock Top & Austin, Mag-Num & her friend and Batz' dad soon all arrived for the "My Two Dads Murder Mystery in Montesano" with the airbnb taking place for the town. Definitely another fun evening. Then it was just us 4 guys & Cora, and Batz brought out a box full of toy weapons for the "Power Rangers Live Action Roleplay." With this being Cora's first WORB since 2017, it was nice getting to visit one more time before she took off the next morning. Batz and Tron went hot tub skinny dipping but I wasn't feeling it.

FRIDAY/WRAP-UP ⚡ The airbnb had a 10:00 checkout so we hustled to clean up and get going, literally being told we gotta go. Back at RangerBar, Batz put on Big Bad Beetleborgs for what was supposed to be the "Beetleborgs Bahama Brunch" but quickly turned into a chance to sleep. Later that afternoon, we headed to The Home Depot so Batz could get some stuff for "The Tower 4D Experience" we had at Me0w & Lil Sorbo's place in Sumner. Me0w fixed us all a BBQ dinner and Batz put on The Tower with real effects. As Tron was scheduled to flyout that night, we said our goodbyes and headed out to the airport. We grabbed tacos once more and Batz let us pull from the prize bag. I caught the light rail and got home just before midnight.

This week definitely lived up to expectations. While 2019 and 2017 had actual Power Ranger actors, this was by far the biggest 4th of July ever focusing on getting the wrestlers instead for a great show. And since RangerBar will absolutely not be at the building next July it was great going all out one last time. And besides most of the WORB staples, this was the first time the "SlutRanger Smokedown Experience" was skipped. Also for the first time I missed the Day 1 gaming and "Monster Ball" which worked out fine I thought.

How will RangerBar be looking in 2 years for the next WORB? Will a Power Rangers reboot be on by then as 30 years (and the entire New Zealand production) comes to an epic conclusion in Cosmic Fury? Gonna be interesting to say the least. Thanks to the team - Batz, Tron, Me0w, Lil Sorbo, Cora, Austin, Shock Top, MC, and everyone else who came out during the week.

Check out the highlights video here!

⚡ ONCE & ALWAYS: A Morphinominal Hour ⚡

What a way to start. I suspected we might see Billy in battle get a solo morph. The rest of the team coming in and Ron Wasserman's Redux theme playing was pretty awesome. Also awesome, MMPR finally gets its own big explosion. The suits had never looked better and Green Ranger gets another upgrade - oh how far we've come from Silver Stripe. They did a great job with the old audio but it was a little odd that wasn't Austin, at least it sure didn't sound like him. Also liked how they got creative like Zack and Minh looking on as the others morphed just off screen.

We knew it was coming, but Rita unleashing and killing Trini was still pretty shocking, with Barbara Goodson doing the voice on top of it. Just wow. First we had Lord Zedd revived in Dino Fury and now this - Rita in her purest form of evil without a human body. Can't help but imagine what it would be like if Zedd and Rita had reunited - probably a major power struggle with both wanting to be in charge. To have Robo Rita be Billy's fault hoping to revive Zordon was pretty surprising and I liked how she took over Alpha 8. Couldn't have imagined we'd get this kind of tie in to the Z-Wave. And since evil particles are out there, I would love to see something with Divatox coming back. Zeo/Turbo special next time? 🙂

The Bandora Protocol sequence was pretty cool. Alpha felt like just as he did years ago. Finally, Kat gets to do something to do in a reunion episode while it felt like Cardenas played Rocky kind of goofy, even phoning it in a bit. I liked the scope of Rangers answering Alpha's summoning call off screen. Ashley, Carlos, Leo, Kai, Damon, Conner, Trent, Devon, Ravi, Nate...  I didn't quite catch Phantom Ranger at first and it was nice they had Tanya out there especially as she's the only Ranger of that era to never return unmorphed. Merrick felt kind of random but they probably just wanted to include Turtle Cove or certain Lighting Collection figures for the set. Also liked the new figure props made exclusively for Jason, Kim and Tommy.

The drama was well done with Minh finding out the truth, wanting to get revenge and trying to morph. Minotaur was kind of an odd choice to come back but I liked Snizzard being the one to capture Rangers. Didn't really care for modifying the Putties from when they last appeared in Beast Morphers, making them look like the ZyuRanger dark gray with more obvious hoodies. Nice nod to Bulk and Skull but with the Juice Bar back, I really hoped for a surprise cameo. Plus nice continuity with Annie at Buzzblast Angel Grove which Jane was starting to plan for last year.

Bringing back the Moon Palace and the final battle there was excellent. Couldn't have asked for a better final morph and Trini's spirit passing on the power to Minh. I appreciate the effort put into the Megazord fight (movie Ninja Megazord is still the worst 👀) but would've loooved a sequence with Toei's Megazord suit. The updated cockpit with Billy leading was pretty cool and it was definitely better than how the zords returned in "GRID CONNECTION" which I'm sure was more Master Green's doing.

Robo Rita nearly going through the portal was awesome  Loved the recreation. I just assumed the dumpster was carefully edited old footage not that they reshot it.

Would've liked more from Adam and Aisha, but I liked how they mentioned being involved with the battle on Sirius fighting the Troobians. Billy owning Cranston Technologies with a beachside Command Center was great. Wasn't that surprised he's still with Cestria and had been away from Aquitar while Rita was out there. I don't personally get emotional easily but I see why a lot of people brokedown with the ending tribute. Also it was great Wasserman returned but I missed that old hard rock. Besides the closing intro using the Redux theme a final time I did like the zords summoning taking a cue from the original Dinozords theme.

We know Billy is expected to appear again this year and could this setup for something else down the line?  Could a future special/anniversary episode have JJ become Green Ranger? I'm not too optimistic as we approach when SPD takes place but we'll have to wait and see! And with the Dino/Cosmic Fury team heading to space to take on Zedd and new villains I kind of hope this isn't the only time Rita's balcony is used.

5/5. A morphinominal time with the MMPR feel updated for the 2020s.

Chase Into Space: Dino Fury

Dino Fury improved on the first half a bit easily making it the best year of the show since RPM. 2021-22 wasn't just a new era for the show...  We'd come to find out from Simon Bennett spilling the tea just how bad things were behind the scenes in Ninja Steel and into Beast Morphers with executive meddling. Quite interesting hearing it straight from him.

I felt like it could have been 1994 up in here with Lord Zedd returning for his Sporix Master Plan. General Shaw's cameo was a nice nod to Beast Morphers with an appearance from the team and the beginning of the storyarc, with Zedd getting his staff and breaking out Scrozzle from GB offscreen, along with Loki's nephew Lothorn becoming the MoTD. Ayion going on about being the one who must stop Zedd got annoying, but otherwise this was a great plot and taking the fight to Rafkon was pretty cool. Even using teamup footage was executed well with Master Green being responsible for everything making "LEGENDARY BATTLE" suddenly make a lot more sense - more than "GRID CONNECTION" I gotta say.

Between Zedd getting captured and the 3 part finale we got my favorite filler in a fun episode featuring Torum Heng as Human Mucus. The finale had a very creative and nicely executed mashup of Ryusoulger combined with original footage making Void Queen fit seamlessly with the Nemesis Beast. The reveal/resolution of Amelia being the Void's daughter was well done and I liked Tarrick getting his old armor one last time. I liked the flash forward and Mucus & Slyther becoming human circus performers was cute. Of course Zedd escaped in a rare season ending cliffhanger and now the chase is on. I can't wait to see how Comic Fury plays out with hopefully more nostalgia and throwbacks as we celebrate PR30.

3/5 for "NEW LEAF"

5/5 for "LOVE HATE," "MORPHIN MASTER," "WISHFUL THINKING," "THE INVASION," "THE TRUTH," "THE NEMESIS"

4/5 for the rest

Power Morphicon 2022: Unleashing the Beast (+ PMCs Ranked!)

I flew into Orange County Wednesday evening (8/26) and made my way to the airbnb in Long Beach that Batz, Mag-Num, her dad and friend had been staying at. Thursday I joined Batz for a day at Disneyland officially dubbed Ranger Bar Does Disney and then Friday was all Universal Studios. Can't wait for Super Nintendo World! Saturday we all left Long Beach and Batz & I headed to Pasadena - oh how nice it was to be back after 6 years. It was just after 12:30 by the time I got in a small line for my badge and Red Ranger membership level perks, WAY quicker than in 2018, thats for sure. On the lookout for anyone I know from the fandom, I observed a staff member run up to another fuming at how Jason David Frank was taking ALL the staff. I then headed to the villains panel, which I had been looking forward to with Colby Strong & Liana Ramirez (Beast Morphers) making their first ever panel, and the only panel appearance of Adelaide Kane (RPM) who was Saturday only - always great to see. Afterwards, I explored the floor for the first time, but unsure what to do, soon hopped next door to Starbucks and chilled off to the side of the floor with my frappuccino taking in all the action. JDF had a huge crowd in line as expected (also Saturday only), plus it was nice catching a nearby glimpse of the PMC7 Guest of Honor - GokaiRed from Gokaiger who I heard was charging like $300.

I rendezvous with Batz at the hotel to check in our room and back on the floor started to meet Beast Morphers cast - Rorrie Travis (Red) and Jazz Baduwalia (Blue). It was then time for the Mighty Morphin 29 Years Later panel and in the last hour of the day, I met Davi Santos (Dino Charge) and John Tui (SPD & Mystic Force) making his first PMC. Always ready to play paparazzi, I grabbed a pic of former longtime showrunner/EP Chip Lynn chatting with part of the Dino Fury cast as I slowly worked my way out.

Past PMCs had an official Saturday night event or concert happening but nothing was scheduled this year. So with the evening wide open after 6:00, I retreated back to our room and eventually met up with Batz who was hanging out in the hotel lobby bar. Soon we headed to Ralph's to get food & drinks for the Ranger Bar Pink Dolphin Party, grabbed dinner and begun setting up the hotel room. Tyler Waldman of Rangercast came by early and teased some info about season 30. Then the party got underway after 11:00 with a few rounds of Power Ranger fans coming by including our pal Eric Francisco, one of last from the old Mutant Chat who still goes to the con. I thought it was great seeing the younger generation in awe over VHS tapes of original episodes as one of the Ranger Bar TVs had In Space from Fox Kids and then Ninja Storm from ABC Kids/ABC Family playing.

Sunday got underway with the Dino Fury panel at 11:00 which included a message from showrunner/EP Simon Bennett officially announcing season 30 as Power Rangers Cosmic Fury - a 3rd season for Dino Fury with the same cast, something that hasn't happened since Mighty Morphin. It was supposed to be a bit of a surprise at the panel but Hasbro tweeted it out the night before around when Waldman was leaving our party, instead of Sunday at 8 am which PMC staff thought was happening. Whoops! It was also a bit awkward devoting 20 minutes of the panel to Cosmic Fury when the cast couldn't talk about it and very little was even known. But now that its all been revealed, I'm excited for this seemingly 10 episode 30th anniversary celebration with old faces returning and a new big bad likely joining Lord Zedd. I don't mind the upgraded Ryusoulger suits and get some fans wanting KyuRanger suits instead.

Anyway, up next was the Beast Morphers panel and soon after I met Jackie Scislowski (Yellow) and completed the quartet with Abraham Rodriguez (Gold) making sure to tell them how nice it was to see them after 4 years. I knew going into this weekend I wasn't really gonna see anyone from the Zordon era of the show but I did swing by Selwyn Ward ("The First Black Leader of the Power Rangers!") I had never met so he could sign an unopened Blue Space Ranger. Another thing different than past years was having the current cast at booths all weekend rather than the limited signings the casts of Samurai, Megaforce and Dino Charge had. So with part of the Dino Fury cast on the floor I met Hunter Deno (Pink), went to the voice actors panel at 3:00 and finished off PMC7 meeting Tessa Rao (Green).

This year definitely had other changes and differences from past PMCs. As always, the floor was packed with cast, all the PR toys you can ever imagine, even a good amount of non-PR stuff - but still felt a bit more lowkey without any presence from Hasbro, while past cons had Bandai, and 2018 in Oakland had full suits on display & a huge helmet display. It sounds like a lot of fans really enjoyed the interactions with cast and the intimate feel this year, obviously nice after what the world has gone through. I was unsure going in how this exactly would go but didn't feel like the pandemic impacted things at all in the end. This was also the first time I skipped Friday which worked out well since the panel schedule was rather light and I was confident I'd still have plenty of time to see a lot of recent cast. I was glad I didn't get the Gold Ranger membership this time (which I had done pretty much every year before), instead going for the cheaper Red Ranger with less perks/swag, especially as my collection of PR related clothing dating back to 2010 grows. Plus the PMC7 convention coin actually has the wrong date on it, all the more reason to cutback on these perks. 2024 I imagine will be a lot like this one, going just 2 days. There's a lot of Rangers, villains and voice cast I've met now and several I don't really care to. If there's no new cast, I'd hopefully be able to fill a few holes in recent & Disney era cast I missed when they were there before and whoever makes the con for the first time.

Check out my Instagram for photos/snaps!

PMCs Least Favorite to Favorite 

⚡ 2010: Easily my least favorite. At the time it was awesome PMC was moving to Pasadena under new ownership and I was ready to improve on 2007. But the trip got off to a rocky start after a falling out with puperazzi/Spy a few months prior came to a head in an encounter on Thursday. This was the only time PMC was in the convention center "basement" with a layout having the guests boxed in, so I'm not a big fan of how some of the pics turned out with the fan and guest on either side of the table. I got tons of autographs but lost a LOT of photos after the camera crashed Saturday evening. Jason Faunt and Erin Cahill (Time Force) are the only ones I for sure got new photos with. Some of the cast I definitely could've held off on seeing until later PMCs. I also have to just shake my head with how much I pushed to be included in the group on Night Zero in the long era of Chris Funaro as head of Mutant Chat.

⚡ 2007: This was a VERY intimate experience for us all, literally being able to walk up to & meet cast, and getting autographs/pics with the entire cast of Operation Overdrive, what pretty much started it all. One of the first unexpected fanboy moments has to be meeting Paul Schrier in the hall. But I have to cringe at how way too awestruck I was at everything and not really talking to anyone besides Spy. Plus I was figuring out as I went along how quickly the camera (which was new then) used up non-rechargeable batteries and the whole insistence of sticking with the group even if it meant shleping my luggage around. 😬

⚡ 2016: The big highlight was meeting all the Megaforce Rangers, one of the best groups of the 2010s. The Dino Charge panel with the Ninja Steel cast reveal and "Sudarso Bros" moment was awesome at the time, but aside from probably Zoe Robins (White), I don't care if I ever meet anyone from that cast in what would become one of the worst seasons of PR.

⚡ 2022: I'd give this year the edge over 2016 but it's hard to top the next 3...

⚡ 2012: This weekend was mega to say the least, getting a lot of photos, having no issues with the camera or anything and the Megaforce cast reveal in the Samurai panel which was a total shocker. Aside from how Power Rangers Samurai was going on TV, I loved meeting some of the team and still fondly look back on how open they were with posing for photos without the restrictions from before.

⚡ 2018: Didn't care much for the Ninja Steel panel but of course the reveal of Beast Morphers with Rorrie, Jazz and Jackie during it was awesome. Other big highlights have to be David Fielding doing Zordon thanks to a rigged mic no one knew was happening and Christopher Khaymen Lee (In Space) & posse stopping by the RangerBar's Pink Dolphin Party.

⚡ 2014: If I had to pick an absolute favorite this would be it. Hector David Jr (Samurai) made for one interesting night during that years Pink Dolphin Party. Great moments in meeting more of that cast and the expected Dino Charge cast reveal with Brennan Mejia who would become one of my favorite Reds and a pretty cool dude.

Roarin' For Dino Fury

Dino Fury has been a true new beginning for the franchise with one of the best casts in years, a rad EDM vibes morphing sequence/roll call and all around improved writing from Simon Bennett & co. As the first season went on, I couldn't help but feel in retrospect how Beast Morphers was still too Neo Saban at times, especially with Zoey and Ben & Betty's wacky slapstick. Now that's outta here.

Zayto awakening and the flashbacks to Rafkon have made for some great episodes. Beast Morphers still has the better premiere but this season stayed locked in with other outstanding episodes in Izzy & Ravi's debut as Rangers and the return of OG Lord Zedd. Izzy & Fern representing LGBTQ+ has been awesome as well, long overdue for the show. It's interesting that early on Dino Fury was initially going to be a one-and-done season but was changed to two, and so the season was padded. Despite that, there were only a couple weak episodes I didn't care for much, while Void Knight trying to get the Sporix to revive Santuara was paced fairy well I thought. 

I wasn't sold on Buzzblast and the obvious Riptide set redressing, and while it can come off as a bit chaotic with so much going on so close together, it feels very modern for the show, as well as the Ranger hotline. I was however quickly sold on Jane & J-Borg, by far the best comedic relief since Disney era. I like the new direction they went with having Mucus as an additional comedic character.

I wasn't too sure about the Nexus Prism coming back but it worked pretty well as we really dove into PR lore with the Morphin Masters being responsible for a lot of old powers. And Mick's guest appearance and using his shapeshifting was fun - at least it was him and not a real teamup. Hopefully we can otherwise stay clear of Ninja Steel. >_>

Ivan in Dino Charge still has the best Gold Ranger debut in modern times but Aiyon's debut wasn't bad either, kind of a better episode plot than Nate & Steel becoming Rangers or Levi. 

The season finale was one of the most decent in years as far as being more of a midseason finale, which past seasons hadn't really done except for the Super Megaforce cliffhanger. I look forward to where things go as we really get rolling this year with the debut of Void King & Queen, Zedd coming back and if they play into him getting his Z-Staff. Also I've enjoyed Campbell Cooley's characters dating back to Snide so I was glad to see that continue with Slyther as a General.

5/5 for "SPORIX UNLEASHED," "NEW RECRUITS," "UNEXPECTED GUEST," "OLD FOES," "ANCIENT HISTORY"

3/5 for "SUPERSTITION STRIKES," "McSCARY MANOR," "SUPER HOTSHOT," "SECRET SANTA"

4/5 for the rest

Looking Back: Power Rangers Jungle Fury

Watching Jungle Fury again, I still remembered quite a bit but would my views change after all these years? I recalled it as being a lot weaker than the other Kalish seasons but that was a much different time in the show. Looking back, I can really appreciate what Marchand & Tellegen did, and how it was missed in recent years.

The season started with another solid premiere, not the best (better than Overdrive anyway), about on par with Mystic Force. I quickly got to like Dai Shi & Camille in the awesome copy of the set from GekiRanger (which would become one of my favorite villain storyarcs ever) and thought it was cool how the Rinshi were powered up to become the weekly monster. For the most part, the villain groups were handled well I thought (Dai Shi Clan/Five Fingers of Poison/Overlords/Phantom Beasts), aside from Scorch coming back one too many times - and in some cases - how the Dai Shi/Jarrod conflict was handled. Back when the season aired, I was kind of annoyed with Jarrod acting human one week and Dai Shi in full control the next. Plus in true PR fashion, it was ridiculous how easily his spirit escaped the box to begin with.

One of the best aspects of the season has to be the Masters. I still remember how exciting it was having the Spirit Rangers and a self-contained teamup when they'd join forces with the team. Loved RJ as a mentor and becoming Wolf Ranger. I wasn't as offended now, but originally, I really didn't like Casey. A bigger offense still has to be the Strike Rider and the annoyingly drawn out sequences it had, worse than SPD at times. JF had some of my favorite zords as well with some fun Flit-narrated battles, and I always enjoyed when the theme would play in episodes - besides Dino Charge - one of the last great intro songs/instrumentals. I also realize how much I miss the wire fu action style but Dino Fury definitely has had some great fight sequences, at times the closest to the old style since Disney era.

To this day, JF had one of the best Disney finales as I liked how it focused on the core 3 defeating Dai Shi, had awesome action, the destruction of the temple - and in the process - didn't do anything outta left field like Mesomonster or ridiculous like Octomus getting stuffed on magic. GekiRanger was great to watch as well. Besides having the original Rangers, I enjoyed the suits so much that this was one of the few times (after Time Force & Wild Force) that I bought the toys - inpaticular the Spring '08 Sound Fury line, Dai Shi, Camille/Flit and Beast Master Megazord I wished had appeared in the show.

 

Beast Morphin' Out

Coming off the dino teamup, Beast Morphers had some episode plots not all that great (Nate & his parents, Roxy & Ravi's trust issues), but I still enjoyed them especially GoBusters fight footage combined with the original stuff, like Ravi's overheating. Nate going over-the-top as Steel was fun and it was cool seeing Robo Blaze impersonate the real one, which should've happened earlier in the show. Also, I wish the musical had been more of a dream sequence than to have actually happened (kind of), but they weren't bad episodes. Zoey & her brother though was pretty lame with how the original fossil was disintegrated, how rushed the whole discovery was, not to mention the comedic slapstick with the dog.

And then we got to the good stuff. Evox's comment about a "very dark past" was a great tease. Nate and Dr K would turn out to be the best teamup, surpassing the Dino Charge return. They always manage to screw up returning Rangers, yet Dr K comes in like she never left. Loved it.

I knew about the Venjix twist since August but the voice switch was a surprise. Wasn't really expecting RPM clips either. Even if I hadn't known ahead of time I always thought the "horrifying discovery" in the episode description had to be Venjix. The way the scene played out was perfect. Yeah, tying up Ben and Betty was out of character but I chalk that up to there's no way they weren't gonna water him down from RPM somehow. And despite Venjix talking like old glory, I could never buy he was as powerful even after absorbing what remained from Scott's morpher. The only downside is this episode being another example of how overused the trans dimensional portals have become and why Dr K would let GB have the morphers briefcase in the first place.  And sure Beast Morphers used a lot of arrows but if it works, might as well roll with it.

Going into the finale, I guess I shouldn't be surprised the Venjix origin was largely ignored but it was great they kept the voice and referenced taking out a civilization. To me, the missing robotic voice filter could simply have been a side effect of the snake DNA/Morph-X. The Vault may have been something not planned early on (and could've been introduced earlier) but Chip definitely knew Evox was going to be Venjix with having Andrew Laing under the Randall Ewing pseudonym I thought was clever.

For todays modern PR, I was fine with Steel's sacrifice and how they worked in a final helmetless scene. I liked how it gave the team the drive to defeat Venjix adapting the GoBusters team energy flow. I don't know if allergic to human DNA was really the best idea and I realize putting things in retrospect how much they had the various DNAs as plot devices... not always executed well. Also, I thought redubbing the actor was fine, like something Neo Saban would've done. I really dug his running morph and the morph theme a final time. I thought for sure Nate would be the one to make Steel human and while I'm not too sure about the Grid acting sentinent, in this case, bringing him back with randomized Nate DNA mostly made sense to me. Having Jamie Lineham do it would've been cool, but I assume it came down to wanting a young actor. Also wish Colonel Truman could've had a longer scene but I did like Scrozzle getting captured offscreen hiding out around Corinth. 

 

I know some people had issues with the flashforward and Devon's promotion but I thought it made for a nice sendoff. Not the best finale but easily one of the best since Disney era, as well as Samurai which I always thought had a solid end, better than most of its 2 years. That's something I do miss now that Neo Saban at least tried, when finales had that cool finale moment (like Super Megaforce's mid-morph roll call) and would do something big like when the Samurai Megazord cockpit was destroyed.

4/5's except for 

"FOSSIL FRENZY" 3/5

"SOURCE CODE" 5/5

 

PRBM: Evox Snare through Grid Connection

Continuing from "SECRET STRUGGLE," this was a solid 5/5 start for Beast Morphers final stretch run. I thought Evox would possess Mayor Daniels awhile longer, but I get that Devon wanted to save his dad quickly and get this resolved. The show doesn't always get the references right, but they were spot on here with Devon contacting Dr. K for help. I just wish the Vault had been at least hinted at sooner, plus how exactly did GB acquire some of that stuff? Can't help but hope Venjix wasn't in one of the acquired RPM morphers... >_>

As for the Chaku two-parter, I really liked seeing Gavan in original footage, the storyline around it, and how this all leads to the teamup. Ryjack was one of the best MoTDs in awhile. Some great unmorphed action in this with the reanimated foot soldiers. With so much MMPR nostalgia and remade Ranger suits in this day and age, I didnt think even think about the fact the original Putties hadn't been seen since season 1, only Z-Putties in PRiS. Also, I like Hasbro's new lightning bolt graphic to start the show. Things then took a bit of a downturn. I would've liked it better if Chaku had stayed RoboCop and perhaps his boss could've convinced him to go home to see his daughter, instead of Nate doing it, and making him human with the neural aligner. Plus it makes me realize how much Ranger tech has turned into magic now, unlike the old days of just being tech (like in PRLR), something I'm too sure about. We could've done without Ben & Betty in this episode with the Mario-ish Piranha Plant as well. 5/5 & 4/5

"FINDERS KEEPERS" was a great part 1 of the teamup, ultimately becoming a lot better than the following episodes, easily earning a 5/5. I love how Sledge returned with the classic "IT'S A BOMB," asks for his crew and Scrozzle reanimates EVERYONE, even Curio & Fury, previously forgotten about. Some great throwbacks with the van chase and old school back to back BM/DC team morphs.

While the Megazord battle felt tacked on, it worked as a way to keep the BM Rangers away from the ground fight I thought, nothing like SPD's weird usage of Dekranger in teamups. Seeing the Psycho data card, what are the chances Nate reformats and they actually use it?

 "MAKING BAD" potentiality could've been good but was squandered with the clip show unable to use the episodes original audio. Mystic Force was about the only decent part, since they got Leanbow, Koragg and Gekkor back for the redub. Apparently that was supposed to be Xander saying "He's a Ranger"? And how did they manage "Korogg" and "Mondoo" making it in? O_o

I did like they had Antonia Prebble return as Astronema, Beth Allen as Udonna and Susan Brady (Mystic Mother) for Rita. But yeah, Zedd was terrible especially that Zeo finale scene, clearly the show just getting a familiar VO to do it (Stig Eldred, the Neo Saban era Narrator among others). This made me think of "LOST & FOUND IN TRANSLATION" and coincidentally Steel/Vargoyle was AbareRed in that episode. Also, come on Evox, you only watched season 1 Goldar, for like a minute. Really hard to buy it was the same one with that voice. No fair Sledge is vaporized instead of given a bomb one last time, but that was pretty minor to the bigger issues.

Bastardizing the sentai is nothing I haven't seen before but "GRID CONNECTION" was up there with "LEGENDARY BATTLE" and "WORMHOLE" for bad ideas/fight sequences in crossovers. Having watched the morph a hundred times online before had made me even more hyped. Oh boy.

Why did the Morphin Grid have to send the meteor? Why couldn't GB have sent out a distress call and Jason comes in WITH the Power Coin? How did Rocky seemingly lose possession if not given to Jason? Why waste time with the moral and not start the action sooner? Jason coming in and revealing himself to be the real head of GB would've been cool.

I always feared the MM and DT Rangers would just show up, and sure enough they did. Plus the idea of using the Power Coin energy to send a message didn't make things any better. I felt like we needed an in-show reason for Snide to be brought back again, than to speculate Evox or Scrozzle must've liked him enough to have him teamup with Not-Goldar. I get including DT defeating Snide and didn't mind the redub, but there really should've been more room in between all this fast-paced action. I didn't quite get he zord summoning (which I assume was more of a footage thing) but do appreciate seeing the cockpits again, and Beast-X King joining DC Megazord. I just wish the zords could've done more.

I did like that this took place in the DC Dimension which I wasn't expecting and Devon going in the Grid was better than the Overdrive approach with making it a physical object. As a fan of Tyler/Brennan, I always like how they work in his catchphrase.

I'm just going to call part 1 the real teamup of the season. This wasn't any better than a 3/5, as is the clip show. Now hopefully they can bounce back and pull out all the stops in time for the finale.

Rollin' 4's for Beast Morphers

Beast Morphers returned for season 2 with a kind of uneventful episode but still better than past second premieres in Dino Charge and especially Ninja Steel. The team not believing Steel's conspiracy theories was a decent enough plot and I thought it was perfectly reasonable how they thought Evox and Scrozzle were gone. We then got our only Roxy episode in a plot about beach trash harming wildlife, which I thought was pretty decent - a plot the show doesn't specifically do a lot of. I liked how human Blaze & Roxy were caught and used and to make new robot clones, though Scrozzle having a machine be able to download them into new bodies (should they get destroyed) feels rather cheap. Plus it was cool having Miriama Smith (Elsa, DinoThunder) return playing Aunt Regina.

And the show continued on a pretty steady pace. We find out Evox has taken over Mayor Daniels and it's great watching him keep up the ruse. Finally, Ravi has to confess to Commander Shaw about his love of painting in an episode with Kelson Henderson playing the goofy painter human version of  Keytron. I liked the introduction of Beast X Mode as well.

About the only downside to this block of episodes is that he show really doesn't do discipline that well so Steel taking things a little too far just didn't quite work. And Megan ends up getting redeemed which I could've done without but it was still a decent debut episode for Beast King. We also got one of the better comedic moments when Steel's legs are hit with the evil dart and start running off on their own, with everyone in peruse. It makes me think how past seasons (like Disney Era) would've probably had Steel as the only comedic relief instead of Ben & Betty's wacky slapstick. Ben sticking up for her when Juan just wanted to dance forever was I'd say their best moment in Beast Morphers to this point. Also, I liked that they did a sports special likely meant to coincide with the Summer Olympics originally (replacing the Christmas episode) and how they used it for the boxing ring Megazord battle from GoBusters.

The midseason finale was by far better than Neo Saban ones. I loved how Zoey got an unmorphed fight with a solo morph (first Yellow solo since Summer in RPM) and a cool battle with the Spin Sword. Liked how Steel tried to help getting her & Nate together, and the issue of confessing to Shaw about them being an official item. It didn't make a lot of sense Evox (as Major Daniels) staying in GB so long or why Scrozzle just couldn't teleport in some Morph X himself earlier, but it made for one of the best cliffhangers ever when he transformed in front of everyone. The Armada arrival at the end of Megaforce was also pretty good but this was easily the best cliffhanger to compliment a good season since the classic spring/fall airing format. Now it's onto the second half (which I've been waiting to air in the US) and what sounds like a pretty awesome storyarc I can't wait to talk about.

4/5's except for  
"THE BLAME GAME" 3/5
"SECRET STRUGGLE" 5/5

A Legendary 20 Years with Zelda + Gaming in the 2010s

9 years ago I did my original post about gaming, growing up with Super Mario and other highlights from the Nintendo game systems (Check it out here). Now is the second part and my how times have changed the past decade. For one thing, the Wii I've had since 2008 was retired in 2019 due to the disc drive no longer working which I kept using into the Switch era for Wii Fit. I have yet to replace it with most likely a used Wii off eBay but will probably do so next year.

It's still funny to me how much I used to almost never buy games until they had been out awhile, sometimes feeling late to the party or unsure if I'd get it at all. It took awhile but that changed with playing more, which I'd say (picking up from the first post) started when I was unemployed throughout 2014. With a lot more time on my hands, I purchased Super Mario Galaxy 2, a game I wasn't real sure I would get, but was glad I did leading to a LOT of time with Mario's planet hopping adventures between this and SMG1. I always enjoyed getting 100% completion when it was possible dating back to SMW, but both games did not make that easy, leading to taking measures to make it easier, and raking in the hours on them (I'd end up coming back to both to complete after initially playing through them right up until the end of the Wii era). Gradually though I was getting behind on other Mario titles that had been out quite awhile so I finally switched gears and got 2007's Super Paper Mario, which I was pretty hyped for when it was first revealed. Gotta say, at the time, I absolutely loved the Mega Star power turning the characters giant 8 bit with the Starman remix jingle. After that I enjoyed Mario Kart Wii and then finished off the year with 2010's Goldeneye 007 remake, eventually revisiting the original '97 classic as well.

Before I get to the Switch, it's time for my history with Zelda. August 1999 through June 2000 was when I played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, my very first experience with the franchise. I can't say why I didn't get into it sooner, other than growing up pretty much with Mario, any ads/commercials I saw for A Link to the Past on SNES, I probably didn't think much of. I do remember seeing Zelda II: The Adventure of Link at a friends and probably thought it looked weird compared to SMB. Even in the 90s I'm not sure how much I knew that the hero you play as was NOT Zelda. One day my sister gave me a copy of Ocarina of Time she had been given and I soon worked by way into Hyrule Field. It was an awesome time playing through the adventure, experiencing the revolutionary time mechanic of switching between young Link/older Link, capped off with my first game ending battle with Ganon. Of course the graphics are dated now but I still fondly look back and consider Kokiri Forest one of my favorite starting locations ever. I was so satisfied, I decided to pass on 2001's Majora's Mask sequel, party due to not being interested in the 3 day clock in-game mechanic. While I was busy with Super Mario Sunshine, Nintendo took Zelda in a completely different direction, releasing the cartoon style Wind Waker. Loved it or hate it, I was happy to finally purchase a Zelda game and enjoyed playing through it in 2004. That year also saw the greatest Zelda reveal of all time, when a trailer for a not-yet titled Twilight Princess was shown at the annual E3 press conference - what felt like a true Ocarina of Time adult Link sequel. The game would come out in 2006, but as I was looking to spend time on my new Nintendo DS handheld, I decided to get Wind Waker's sequel, Phantom Hourglass in 2008 after it had only been out a few months, as sort of a companion while I played Super Smash Bros Brawl on the Wii.

By 2012, it was finally time to start catching up on Zelda after playing through Super Mario Galaxy. 1993's A Link to the Past was a fun nostalgic trip back to what I had missed in simpler gaming times and then I brokeout the GameCube again for Twilight Princess. I still kind of wish I had gotten it first instead of Phantom Hourglass, especially with it going back to adult Link and how misleading the title turned out to be. I was mind blown finding out that Midna, Link's imp-like guide in the game was the Twilight Princess in her true form. I then got Skyward Sword in 2015, more colorful and another great story in the series really getting into the lore of it all, though it wasn't quite as revolutionary and the Wiimote motion controls got annoying.

When I got the Switch in July 2017, Breath of the Wild of course had to be first with its wonderful new open world and game mechanics. I'd spend a satisfying year with it, taking occasional breaks to enjoy Mario Kart 8 (which I thought I'd have to skip entirely but was thankfully ported over from Wii U). Trying to conquer 200cc and get gold trophies wore me out so after a few months (and finishing BOTW) it was time for something else. Long overdue to get back into Donkey Kong Country, I decided to try Tropical Freeze, which turned out to be not really my thing even with an easy mode, likely marking the end of ever owning another DKC title. So it was time for Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, the all-star Zelda hack n' slash loaded with all the content you could ask for (combining the Wii U/3DS versions), with an amazing story mode and cut scenes beating anything from the main Zelda series. 

Summer 2019 it was time for a break so I picked up Super Smash Bros Ultimate - loaded with EVERY fighter and stage in Smash history. I enjoyed playing through the games World of Light story, but quickly realized the replay value of smash battles Melee & Brawl had is gone, and it's not something I'd be interested in playing online with random people. Plus, I realized just how forever special Melee is to me because it was completely new concept (after skipping 1999's original Smash Bros), and I loved having an all-star Nintendo lineup to play with, going on to spend hours and hours fighting NPCs. Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid also ended up being rather short lived (something I'd much rather play with friends, like Fortnite), so it was back to Hyrule Warriors while I figured out something I'd stick with.

I got Super Mario Maker 2 - originally debuting in 2015 on Wii U - so skipping Wii U I knew I had to get in on the second version. And man, did I get a whole new respect for classic Mario, especially (as I talked about before) having fond memories in the days of the SNES with Super Mario All-Stars being the first time I really experienced playing through Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World being the first flagship Mario title I completed 100%  (I'd still pretty much consider my favorite) and Mario Kart being an entirely new concept. Now I can  play and create courses all I want, from the original SMB to the recent 3D World. Making your own courses and what mine would look like is something I never thought about before but is fun to work with, a bit of a successor to Mario Paint of yesteryear. I especially love Mario Maker giving the games a night mode and new themes not in the original games. Playing competitively against random people is also pretty fun - something I'm not that great at but always satisfying to be the first one at the goal. The concept of making your own version of Super Mario World is not a new concept thanks to Lunar Magic, the program that allows you to edit the game on PC - something I thought about trying myself over the years - but to be able to do it officially is pretty special.

I never got into using the Wii's Mii service with friends, so I'm glad to finally be in the age of connecting with friends on the Switch and having a Nintendo online service, which I've used a lot for Mario Maker and sometimes playing Fortnite with my homies. Lots of NES/SNES titles are available for instant play on the Switch as well, which is nice as the original cartridges gradually wear out. Eventually I started to hit a creative wall as working on the same courses in the editor got old, so I had to think about getting something else. Despite missing out on Super Mario Odyssey, I didn't want to just keep playing all Mario all the time (like on the Wii), so I decided it was time for something brand new and gave Animal Crossing: New Horizons a shot, which has turned out to be a very nice life simulator, especially in a time when escaping reality sounds pretty good. Plus I intend to keep playing Mario Maker occasionally to make use of the online service and finish off all the courses I started working on. And with a lot of my shows off until next year there's plenty of time for the ACNH daily routines and working on creating/shaping the island. I also gotta give a quick honorable mention to Mega Man, whose classic games I've always been a fan of, they're just not for me (though I couldn't pass up on getting 2008's Mega Man 9 throwback before the Switch came out).

Here's to the next decade with more revolutionary moments, the Mario Movie on the way, not to mention what's in store for Breath of the Wild 2, sure to be as much of a must-buy as the first keeping the Legend alive well into its 35th year and beyond.

Beast Morphers first-half wrap-up

Aside from a few missteps, the first-half continued to improve from the Neo Saban years. Kid focus episodes usually don't turn out that good but "TUBA TRIUMPH" pulled it off pretty well with Joey jumping in the battle to help stop Tubatron with the soundwave. The Rangers believing the were the characters they dressed up as, and Devon (not being into Halloween) snapping them out of it via some clips, made for a pretty fun Halloween episode. Plus Jackie Scislowski totally nailed overplaying the viking which I thought was great.

"SOUND AND FURY" was one of the most surprising episodes PR has ever done with GB employee Megan going so far as to blackmail Zoey to get a new position as Nate's lab assistant. Past seasons would never have a character like that who is just a bad person. The Nate/Zoey crush was cute even though it never went anywhere. This was also when we got the debut of the battlizer with Devon using Fury Mode on Tubatron 2.0. He soon starts acting like a jerk as the fury cells slowly turn him evil. Of course they take the easy way out with the last cell depleted, quickly changing Devon back, but it was pretty awesome how close he got to killing Ravi. This was a pretty good, different take on the battlizer from older seasons, being a two-episode plotline.

"GORILLA ART" was a decent Ravi/Smash focus adapted around the GoBusters episode counterpart - the kind of episode I hope we see more of this year. I liked the focus of Zoey and her mom but it felt like something we get about every year with the Rangers identities nearly being exposed. This wasn't the best execution of it, plus how that memory card was able to be fixed was pretty silly.  

"REWRITING HISTORY" wasn't quite what I hoped for when the memory pulsator made everyone but Steel think Blaze and Roxy were Rangers. Aside from a nice callback to the premiere, I really wanted to see more of them in GB, not just getting a device. Also, the memory pulsator continuously sending waves to keep up the ruse was a weird way to go about it and kind of gave me Neo Saban flashbacks. Aside from that, this was still a good start of a three-part finale, plus Steel with his plant was great. His comedic personality and learning to adapt to society really makes Ben & Betty's slapstick feel unneeded.

I liked how Ravi destroyed avatar Roxy for good and the real on woke up and told the team Evox's plan. I would've liked more foreshadowing to Scrozzle making a new body for him. Major Daniels going to the Cyber Dimension with the Rangers and having the heart-to-heart with Devon was pretty cool. Loved the helmetless scene and including Steel with his robot head. Avatar Blaze defeat wasn't nearly as good as Roxy's and the line about the zords being destroyed felt cheap. Evox's monster form barely even got much use but I'll let that slide since it'll be back this season. Despite the flaws, this was easily a better first-half finale than anything from Samurai-Ninja Steel. The Cyber Dimension was destroyed and everyone thinks Evox is gone but things were left open enough like not taking their powers, while somethings up with Major Daniels. I expect this year will stay around the same level with potential for some well earned 5's. It'll be interesting to see how some of these plotlines develop (like Blaze & Roxy getting evil new powers), how the dino teamup turns out and RPM somehow being brought into the fold.

- 3/5 "RANGER REVEAL"
- 4/5 "TUBA TRIUMPH," "HYPNOTIC HALLOWEEN," "SOUND AND FURY," "GORILLA ART," "REWRITING HISTORY," "TARGET: TOWER" and "SCROZZLE'S REVENGE"
- 5/5 "SEEING RED" and "EVOX: UPGRADED"

The Crisis and End of Arrow

Crisis on Infinite Earths got off to good, fast-paced start - a roundup of different Earths around the multiverse with a few quick special cameos. I enjoyed how the Supergirl episode kicked things off and how involved the supporting cast was, with the anti-matter wave catching the DEO off guard and hitting too close to home for Kara when Argo was erased. And with the Superman & Lois spinoff on the way I thought this felt like a small teaser of that.

Part 2 (Batwoman), focused a lot on Kate and Kara going to Earth-96 and meeting that Earths Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy). I don't watch animated Batman but having Kevin do a disgruntled, live-action Bruce was pretty cool. I loved that Earth-96 Superman was a Ray Palmer doppleganger, Lex turning him evil, and trying to kill the Supermen from across the multiverse, including Earth-167 Smallville Clark! Absolutely wonderful tribute with it being revealed Clark gave up his powers after he had daughters with Lois. Also liked how they were able to work in a version of Leonard Snart as a Gideon. Very heartfelt moment of Oliver running out of arrows and "dying" soon after but I knew that couldn't be the end of him this early.

Black Lightning surprisingly had their own connection to Crisis with that Earth and everyone being erased as Jefferson is transported, who we then see appear in Part 3's Flash episode. Nice to see Ralph, Caitlin/Frost and Cisco get involved. Besides the Kara/Kate bonding, I liked how Jefferson got to know Barry. Very heroic sacrifice for John Wesley Shipp's Earth-90 Flash, complete with a brief flashback to the 90s TV series. I liked how they did the Paragons as well with Lex making a small modification so he took the place of Earth-96 Superman just as they were transported to the Vanishing Point, a safe zone as the ENTIRE multiverse and everyone else are wiped out.

Barry having to navigate through the Speed Force, revisiting key moments to order for the Paragons to be able to get out of the Vanishing Point got a bit confusing like it was there to pad time before the final hour. By far most surprising/unexpected moment ever was getting Ezra Miller for a cameo and keeping it under wraps. At last Oliver (now the Specter) makes the heroic sacrifice defeating the Anti-Monitor (or so it seems), creating a new universe in the only place it could happen - Crisis Arrow episode.

With Supergirl having been on Earth-38 until this point, it was only fittingly the final hour (Legends of Tomorrow episode) would actually start out feeling like an episode of her show, as Kara's world is now part of the rest of the heroes. This plays into all sorts of fun ideas such as her and Barry finding out they teamup occasionally with Kate and a Green Arrow in the new Earth. I liked how Oliver did a narration as we see a new multiverse which included CW's upcoming Stargirl on Earth-2. I flipped over Earth-96 Superman, now in a suit paying homage to Returns and the Donner films.

A giant Beebo on the street meant to be a distraction while a bank was being robbed was a perfect way to get in some of the wacky Legends of Tomorrow feel. Nice to see Nate and Ava on the Waverider, kind of thought we'd see the rest of the Legends. Turns out Anti-Monitor is still alive and grows huge. For a minute I thought we might get some sort of Megazord battle before a shrink bomb is created to stop him for good. Though Caitlin was around, it felt odd Iris was left out of this episode and Cisco was not around to help with the bomb. Everything is wrapped up nicely as the heroes paid tribute to Oliver and Barry unveiled a new round table as a new league of heroes is formed. I especially loved how involved Lex was throughout the crossover and how it appears he'll continue to be for now on Supergirl as head of the DEO. While that and Batwoman have played into the new world aftermath, Black Lightning really hasn't changed (rightfully so with the current heavy plotlines going on there). It will be interesting to see if they find a reason to bring over Barry or someone sometime or if Jefferson primarily goes to other shows. The Flash also had a great post-Crisis episode, paid respects to Arrow and is in for it's own aftermath I look forward to.

With Oliver long gone, it was time to say goodbye and reflect/celebrate his legacy in what I thought was an awesome final episode. I liked how they had him and a final big action sequence in it by going back to Arrow's old formula of flashbacks but making them unseen from season 1 - intended to pay homage to OTA but Emily Bett Rickards on limited time making her unavailable for the scenes. I was surprised by the amount of surprise cameos (credited at the closing) with Slade as the only real omission, as well as Ben Turner who I'm surprised didn't appear at all this season.

Ultimately, Oliver brought back Quentin, Moira, Tommy and Emiko in the new Earth, choosing to not bring back Earth-1 Laurel (with Earth-2 Laurel well on her way to redemption having filled her place), or his dad which would've resulted in him never becoming Green Arrow. Of course it doesn't quite feel like a goodbye with plenty of room on the other shows for cameos. Mia, Laurel and Dinah in Green Arrow & the Canaries going to series would offer even more opportunity, perhaps revealing who Green Arrow in the present Arrowverse time. Plus you've got John, with his newly discovered Green Lantern ring moving to Metropolis (of all places) with Lyla & kids. The Arrowverse will be alive & well for years to come but no other show will have the best choreographed action sequences from one of the most awesome and coolest dudes in the multiverse.