Tag Lord Zedd returns

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Ultimate Mystery” Review (Lord Zedd Returns…Again!)

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Lothorn, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Ultimate MysterySERIES: 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.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

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.

Dino Fury Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Ultimate Mystery

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.

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Numero Uno” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Void Knight return, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Numero UnoSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E1 – “Numero Uno”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Charlie Haskell
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: As Amelia struggles to balance Buzzblast with Ranger duty, Void Knight prepares for a return.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Really cool opening sequence with the Red Ranger running across the rooftops. Way to jump start things. The follow-up with Green and Gold leaping out from the building was fun too.

Wait, Amelia is in charge at Buzzblast (which is apparenetly one word, not two) while Jane is away? Isn’t Amelia supposed to be a high school kid? And isn’t Buzzblast supposed to be the Power Rangers equivalent to BuzzFeed, a globally renowned web site? Now there’s a gig that’ll look good on a college application…

So was this whole opening fight just a training exercise? Did they let a Sporix Beast loose and then time themselves as they went after it? Seems a little dangerous to me.

Void Knight, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Numero Uno

Amelia says her new show at Buzzblast is about “unsolved mystery.” Apparently she’s never seen Unsolved Mysteries. Another Netflix show, fittingly enough.

Aiyon’s line about whether they can trust “this lie brary person” had just the right about of cheesiness in it to be funny. Well done, writers.

Mucus swinging on a wrecking ball is likely as close as we’ll ever get to a Miley Cyrus reference on Power Rangers. And I’m okay with that.

The flamboyant flower cart owner, as we’ll call him, is played by Luke Bird. Delightfully over the top and cartoony.

Void Knight is back, which officially debunks the rumor I read about Lord Zedd returning as the main villain for season two. Zedd has to be back at some point though, doesn’t he? Otherwise, why go to the trouble of bringing him back?

A Megazord fight in cyberspace, huh? That’s a cool twist on things. We haven’t see that often…if ever!

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Void Trap” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Power Rangers Dino Fury, Void Trap, Dr. AkanaSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E21 – “Void Trap”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Michael Hurst
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: The Rangers use Ollie’s mother to set a trap for Void Knight.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Now seems like a good time to talk about Shavaughn Ruakere, who plays Dr. Akana. Like a lot of Power Rangers actors, she’s appeared on the New Zealand soap opera Shorthand Street. She also made it to the finals of New Zealand’s incarnation of Dancing with the Stars. She’s a fine addition to the cast, and takes center stage in this episode.

When the plan goes awry and Dr. Akana is lost in another dimension, Ollie almost immediately blames Zayto. I liked that. A very natural and human reaction. It seems extremely obvious (and it is), but that kind of thing might have been absent in past seasons. And it was Zayto’s idea, after all.

Actually, considering this is essentially the season finale (Does the Christmas episode count?), it’s interesting how Ollie-centric “Void Trap” is. Historically, finales are typically the Red Ranger’s time to shine. That’s a little shake up I’m glad to see.

Zayto destroys Reaghoul using the T-Rex Cosmic Megazord. I’d be down about that, if Reghoul’s whole thing wasn’t resurrecting the dead. Plus, this was an episode where Boomtower got yet another go-around. And this is the season that brought friggin’ Lord Zedd back. If they want to bring Reaghoul back, they can bring him back. Even if it’s down the road in another series.

After Void Knight’s machine is destroyed, the Rangers lose their connection to the Morphin Grid and demorph. Thus, Dr. Akana sees that Ollie is the Blue Ranger. I really wish she’d have said something like, “I knew it was you!” It’s not like there was a shortage of clues. There was no subtlety in Ollie’s Ranger game…

The fight that the unmorphed Rangers have with Void Knight and his forces is short but sweet. When they get the actors mixed in with the fantastical Sentai elements, it’s generally a plus. And doing much of their own choreography too.

Seeing Amelia briefly cross swords with Void Knight (shown below) was cool. She might be the best developed character on the show. So it’s nice to see her get a moment like that.

“Void Trap” goes to the trouble of severing the Rangers’ connection to the Morphin Grid, only to give it back to them moments later. Not to mention the dinosaur statues being magically rebuilt after Ollie destroyed them. That all feels a little clumsy. But it justified the unmorphed fight sequence. So I’ll give it to them.

The Green Morphin Master is the one who restores the Rangers’ powers. Again I must ask, why the green one, specifically?

One of our closing shots is of Santaura, Void Knight’s…wife? Girlfriend? It would have been really awesome if her eyes had popped open at the end there. Then again, that implies she’ll be the villain next season. I doubt that’s the case.

“Void Trap” is atypical as far as season finales, or perhaps mid-season finales go. That’s not a bad thing, however. The fight between our heroes and our villain is smaller in scale, yet more personal.

Still no sign of Lord Zedd. But there’s still plenty of time…

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Ancient History” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E16 – “Ancient History”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordon Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Caroline Bell-Booth
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: Zayto’s leadership skills come into question after a stunning revelation from the Gold Ranger.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Early in the episode we meet Aiyon, another Rafkonian, and the one behind the Gold Ranger helmet. And for some reason, he’s in Earth civilian clothes. So…where did he get those? I guess it depends on how much time has passed between this episode and “Storm Surge.” Maybe he stopped by an outlet mall on the way to Dinohenge or something?

Zayto and Aiyon are supposedly best friends. But when Zayto discovers that he’s alive after all this time, he isn’t overjoyed to see him. And keep in mind, he’s also been actively searching for any evidence that Rafkon, or someone from Rafkon, is still out there. So we’ve got a double whammy of good news here, and instead he’s solely focused on the disagreement he and Aiyon had literally millions of years ago. I don’t buy it.

We see that the Green Morphin (spelled without the g) Master awoke Aiyon from his slumber after being led there by the Nexus Prism. Why the Green Morphin Master as opposed to a different one? No explanation. Though one isn’t necessarily needed. More importantly, our green friend tells Aiyon, “Without you, Lord Zedd will reign again.” Thus adding a little more credibility to the theory that Zedd will be the main villain next season.

Aiyon reveals that not only were the Sporix Beasts created on Rafkon, but that Zayto could have stopped their creation by voicing his objection. So naturally, he’s got trust issues with Zayto. And yet, a short time later during battle, Aiyon asks him, “You got my back?” That’s an odd contradiction.

How can you tell I’m an old school Mighty Morphin Power Rangers buff? This stuff with the Megazord not being able to fight underwater, and then being saved by the Mosa Razor Zord made me think of “An Oyster Stew,” the final episode of season one. The Rangers faced an almost identical dilemma there.

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