SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E12. “Ultimate Mystery”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
GUEST-STARRING: Teuila Blakely
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Robyn Grace
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Amelia goes looking for Bigfoot. The Rangers find a destructive new monster.

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Now that we’re caught up on Dino Fury and are into what some might consider the home stretch, I feel like I can finally talk about the big cast announcement for next season, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury. It was announced in conjunction with this summer’s Power Morphicon event that the cast of Dino Fury will be returning for Cosmic Fury. As has been widely publicized, this marks the first time since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that cast members will return as ongoing cast members for a third consecutive season of the show.

Side note: I can only assume that Power Rangers Cosmic Fury will run for two seasons, as all PR incarnations have for the last decade or so. This likely means the cast is returning for both third and fourth seasons…right?

I’m happy for everybody who gets to come back. There are pros and cons to this team, as there are to any team. But as far as the sum of its parts is concerned, this is probably the best team of Rangers the show has brought us in at least 10 years. And as the actors, writers, directors, and everyone involved will now have more time to put into them, they’ll only get better from here.

All in all, it’s a great time to be a Power Rangers fan.

This episode is called “Ultimate Mystery.” So what do we think the real ultimate mystery of the PR universe is? For my money, it’s why the Rangers abandoned the Zeo powers so readily in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. I mean, we know the real reason: They had a Turbo movie to make. But I’m talking from an in-universe perspective.

Jane denies Amelia’s request to cover the alleged Bigfoot sighting, and tells her to stay on the Area 62 story. This is the first episode that I can really recall Jane acting like an editor, and not playing things up for comedic purposes. I liked it. It gives her character a little more gravitas.

Speaking of Jane, are Kira Josephson and Victoria Abbott coming back as Jane and J-Borg for Cosmic Fury? I don’t see why they wouldn’t…

Commander Shaw (played by the returning Teuila Blakely, show below) contacts the Dino Fury team and tells them there’s been a jail break at one of their facilities. And hey! There’s the Beast Morphers team! Via Sentai footage, yes. But it is them! A neat couple of scenes from Teuila Blakely as Commander Shaw. Nice that they got her to do that.

Whoa! Hold on! Did Lothorn say he was Lokar’s nephew?!? That little throw-away line is a deep cut from Mighty Morphin. Great little gem, there. We’ll ignore the fact that he inexplicably retreated when he had the Rangers’ backs against the wall.

Lothorn got another cool throw-away later in the episode with, “Hey, I can see Angel Grove from here!”

I’m finding myself wishing the fights were a little less jokey. Lothorn is supposed to be this big, tough monster who fended off some of the Rangers’ most powerful attacks. And yet everybody’s quipping. I get that it’s a kids show. But despite its inherent cheesiness, this show has proven over nearly 30 years that it can be serious and dramatic when it needs to be. I was looking for some more of that seriousness and drama here.

This episode squeezes a lot into its last couple of minutes. First, some important last-minute character development for Amelia. We learn the reason she’s so interested in the mysterious and the paranormal is because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding her parents’ disappearance.

Then, we learn that Lord Zedd was behind the breakout at the Grid Battleforce facility, and that he was aiming to free Scrozzle (also from Beast Morphers). That’s an interesting pairing. I’m looking forward to seeing them together in episodes to come…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.