Tag Russell Curry

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Nemesis” Review (Season Finale!)

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E22 – “The Nemesis”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale
DIRECTOR: Simon Bennett
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: The Rangers face Void Queen one final time.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Early in the episode, Zayto essentially dismisses the Orria and the other Rafkonians, telling them to evacuate. From a story perspective, I get why that was done. But from an in-universe perspective, it’s a little dumb. They’re about to go up against the most powerful enemy they’ve ever faced. You’d think they could use all the help they could get…

That Nemesis Beast monster that ultimately serves as the final big enemy of the season is pretty damn cool. I appreciate that it’s taller than the Megazords. Heck, I’d have made it even taller. It gives it a hell of an imposing presence.

We knew once they set up the Dino Master Saber’s ultimate attack that they were going to come back to it. Most likely in the finale. Was it predictable? Yes. But I’m just grateful that they set it up a few episodes ago, as opposed to having it be a last minute deus ex machina kind of thing.

Now that we’ve reached the finale of Dino Fury, I feel like I can officially ask this question: What’s with the “battle stance” shot in the opening credits (shown above)? It doesn’t appear in any episode. So was it just put there for the opening montage?

Another question: What’s with Izzy’s fighting stance? It’s like she’s channeling a cat, or something. Now that I have seen again at different points in the series. Did they tell her to do that? Or is that something Tessa Rao made up on her own? I don’t dislike it. I’m just curious as to what she’s doing.

Seeing the Rangers float down from above the Nemesis Beast and then slide down its body was really cool. The kind of thing you rarely, if ever, see on the show. And then the Hengemen coming out to fight on the body was like something out of a video game. Granted, it was all Sentai footage. But it was still great.

After Void Queen reverts back into Santaura (once again via the power of love, etc), the Morphin Masters seal all the Sporix away somewhere. You’d think as all-knowing masters of the Morphin Grid, they’d know that like, half the Power Rangers seasons begin with the discovery and unsealing of some old evil thought locked away forever…

Mucus lives! We see her in her slimey form oozing out from under a rock after the battle. Somehow, that has a feel-good quality to it. I’ve seemingly grown fond of the character.

Six months after Void Queen’s defeat and Zayto’s apparent death, we learn the Rafkonians are staying on Earth. What’s more, their as aliens will be public. That’s unorthodox. But okay, I suppose. What’s more, there are probably lots of aliens hiding in plane sight on Earth. The Rafkonians are simply the newest.

We also learn that Santaura is pregnant. They list off a few paint colors for the baby’s crib: Briarwood green, Corinthian sunset, and Ocean Bluff blue. These are little hat-tips to Mystic Force, RPM, and Jungle Fury, using the names of the cities they all took place in. Interesting that they used Corinth for one. Is the existence of a parrallel dimension common knowledge in the PR universe? Or am I just overthinking a cute little Easter egg? More likely it’s the latter, I think.

On the subject of hat-tips, Jane mentions the creation of Buzz Blast Angel Grove. Which is, of course, a nod to Mighty Morphin.

Jane and J-Borg end Dino Fury by pigging out on some Rafkonian cuisine (shown above). That would have been a fair enough way for them to go out, I suppose. This isn’t the end for them, though. Kira Josephson’s Instagram has indicated they’ll be back for Cosmic Fury in some capacity. I’m glad for that. It wouldn’t have been right for them to bring all the Rangers back, but not the two of them.

The Rangers are called back to Dinohenge, where we learn Zayto is alive (and in a new Ranger suit). What’s more, Lord Zedd has escaped and the Rangers need to go after him. Thus, we have our set-up for Cosmic Fury.

I can only assume Zayto’s new costume (shown above) is going to be the suit they use for him in Cosmic Fury. In which case, that’s an awful lot of silver and not much red, considering it’s a Red Ranger suit. I’ll say this much: It’s different.

Zayto indicates that he was saved by the Morphin Masters, but he isn’t sure how. As I’ve said before, I don’t like the idea of the Rangers having cosmic big brothers that can bail them out of a bad situation. It waters down the stakes in any given every episode. I’m sure we’ll get more info about how and why Zayto was saved when we get to Cosmic Fury. Here’s hoping it’s a good explanation…

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Truth” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

Amelia antennae, Power Rangers Dino Fury, The TruthSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E21 – “The Truth”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale
DIRECTOR: Simon Bennett
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Amelia learns the truth about her parents…and herself.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

In viewing Pop-Pop’s memories, Amelia learns that her parents were from Rafkon, and gave her up to save her from the destruction of Area 62. Thus, Amelia is able to sprout antennae like Zayto and Aiyon.

This was out of left field for me. But not in a bad way. It was a genuine surprise, and a nice way to connect Amelia’s family drama to the Rafkon story.

My only big complaint about the reveal of Amelia as a Rafkonian is that they didn’t give us a scene, or even a single line of dialogue, where Ollie is shocked and has come to grips with the fact that his girlfriend is…y’know, an alien. I’m assuming there just wasn’t time to do it. But it would have been fun.

One more minor complaint: Amelia’s subsequent line, “Guys, I think my parents were from Rafkon.” It comes off a little air-headed. I mean…duh? You’re standing there with antennae jutting out of your head just like the Rafkonians. Where else would they have been from? Aquitar?

Amelia, Rafkon reveal, Power Rangers Dino Fury, the Truth

Seeing Void Queen and Mucus on the Buzzblast set was cool. Sort of a “worlds colliding” type thing.”

Low and behold, Void Queen destroys Mucus to further empower herself in her cocooned form. Great villain moment for her.  Only a true heel would sacrifice her comic relief minion…

One thing I loved about this episode: It set up very specific, concrete stakes. We learn that if Void Queen’s cocoon explodes as she intends it to, “everything in a 30-mile radius will be vaporized.” We even get a little visual via the computer simulation. They could easily have gone with a much more vague, generic set-up. Something like, “Void Queen will become so powerful she’ll take over the world!” This was better. Much, much better.

Amelia gives Ollie a kiss on the cheek just before the other Rangers spring into action. If they were going to give those two a proper kiss this season, that might have been a good place to put it. Oh well. There’s always Cosmic Fury…

As if it’s not obvious, Amelia gets a lot of emphasis in this penultimate episode of the series. I can appreciate that. She’s been one of the better developed characters in Dino Fury. She and Izzy might be the top two. Dino Fury has definitely been one of the strongest shows on the female side of things that PR has ever done.

The Rangers whipped up a new morpher for Amelia pretty fast. A little too convenient, don’t you think?

When Amelia opens the safe from Pop-Pop’s memories and finds it empty, Izzy says, “I’m sorry Amelia. That really sucks.”Is that the first time someone has said that something “sucks” on Power Rangers? As far as I can remember, it is. Yet another memorable line for Izzy, I suppose.

The music during the flashback sequences was pretty effective. Kudos to Bert Selen.

Amelia learns that Santaura (Void Queen) is her mother and Tarrick (Void King) is her father. Also, they are all Rafkonians.

The revelation of Santaura and Tarrick as Amelia’s parents wasn’t a surprise, based simply on the flashback we saw in “The Invasion.” It was clearly them. Also, Amelia’s been talking about her parents for two seasons now. So you knew there had to be some kind of big reveal involving them. And the idea that it would been Void Queen and Void King made sense from a story and drama perspective. So it wasn’t entirely out of left field.

That being said, it’s a cool moment and a nice pay-off to all the build-up. Also, I didn’t expect them to be from Rafkon. That was a neat way to weave this family drama into the larger story of the series.

Once Void King realizes Amelia is his daughter, he reverts back to Tarrick. So Void King was defeated by…wait for it…love. Very cheesy. But not to the point that I don’t buy it.

There is, however, a giant plothole here. So two decades ago, Tarrick placed Santaura in suspended animation after she’s hurt in Area 62’s explosion. He then uses the Dino Knight morpher to become Void Knight. And then…nothing for 20 years? So what was he doing for all that time while Amelia was growing up? Did he also go into suspended animation for some reason? Was he off on some kind of quest? Could he have encountered other Power Ranger teams along the way? That’s a pretty frustrating plothole, and one uncharacteristic of Dino Fury. Unless I’m forgetting something…?

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Invasion” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Orria, Power Rangers Dino Fury, The InvasionSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E20 – “The Invasion”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford, Cameron Dixon, Steve McCleary
DIRECTOR: Craig Wilson
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Void Queen launches a full-scale assault on Pine Ridge.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

As the episode begins, a spaceship arrives just outside the city. This prompts Jane to say: “Finally, it’s Pine Ridge’s turn for some extraterrestrial action!” I assume that’s a cute little nod to the fact that plenty of other cities on this show have been invaded by aliens. Between that, and Javi’s line about “Lord Zedd, with Galvanax and Venjix…” this episode seems to know it’s the beginning of a finale.

The ship turns out to be filled with Rafkonians, who want Earth to be their new home. But the Rafkonian leader, Orria, calls humans “greedy and selfish and incapable of working together.” Zayto and Aiyon obviously object. But…yeah, she pretty much nails it.

Of course, she changes her mind by the end of the episode. But how bad is it when you’re so cynical that you’re actually siding with the alien invasion force?

Orria, group shot, Power Rangers Dino Fury, The Invasion

On the subject of Orria, she’s pretty awesome. Fighting the monsters with no powers, using just twin daggers? I love her! More please.

Izzy and Javi’s mother says that with the mayor out of town, their father is “in charge of civil defense.” Hold on…what’s this guy’s job again? Park Warden? I call B.S. There’s no deputy mayor or anything?

I understand why you can’t show blood on this show, or really any kids show. But if there were ever a time to show even a tiny bit of blood, it would have been during that last scene with Amelia and the injured Pop-Pop. Sometimes blood does wonders for drama. Just ask pro wrestlers.

Fearing he may die, Pop-Pop reveals that Amelia is an alien, given up by her parents at Area 62 when she was a baby. More than any other twist or turn this series has taken thus far, I can honestly say I didn’t expect that one. What’s Ollie going to say?!?

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Bad Vibes” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Garcia family, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Bad VibesSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E19 – “Bad Vibes”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Charlie Haskell
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Izzy and Javi are turned against the Rangers as part of an evil plan.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I didn’t expect Wreckmate to stick around as long as he has. I suppose that’s why I haven’t appreciated him as much as I perhaps should have. Heck, he’s a pirate monster! What’s not to like? Also John Leigh, his voice actor, does a great job with the character.

Is “evil Javi” lowering his register in the scene with Void Queen? If so, why? Is he channeling his inner Darth Vader? I wonder if they told him to do that. What’s all the more odd is that he only does it in that scene.

So anybody who uses Dino Master Mode gets to wear the spiffy cape, huh? That’s kinda cool. It’s not just something for the Red or Gold Ranger.

Amelia makes a crack about Clawfare, this episode’s monster (shown below left), looking like a doctor in the white coat. Me? I kind of love the look.

Clawfare, Void King, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Bad Vibes

Izzy and Javi’s love for their parents breaks the evil spell. That’s kinda sweet. Not the spin you usually get for that kind of thing. Especially when you consider we never met any Ranger parents during certain seasons.

When the Garcia family all come together on stage to sing, watch J-Borg in the background. Victoria Abbott is hamming it up with some stiff, robotic arm waving.

But Void Queen is kind of…booby, isn’t she? It’s easy to gloss over when you consider it’s just a costume. But yeah, they’re out there.

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Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Guilt Trip” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E18 – “Guilt Trip”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Charlie Haskell
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Void Queen’s forces try and divide the Rangers’ attention across the globe.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Ollie and Amelia are looking to book a stay at the Stine Hotel, which is supposedly haunted. I can only assumed that’s named after famed kids horror author R.L. Stine.

I wonder how much mileage they got out of that gag with the “bird poop” on Ollie’s mom. You think the little kids laughed at that? Hmm…

It’s always nice to see the actors on different sets and in different environments, i.e. something other than the usual locations. Dinohenge, Buzzblast, etc. The set they came up with for Osaka, Japan, seems a little on-the-nose as far as the look of the little buildings, the paper lanterns, etc. But I suppose they have to get the point across to the little kids, right? I appreciated the lab set too.

Sugarhit, the monster in this episode, throws pies and tries to lure the Rangers into a trap using a giant meringue shell. That’s not quite as cheesy as the Rangers getting baked into a giant pizza back in Turbo. But it’s close.

Either way, this show is gloriously ridiculous.

Javi before a fight with Sugarhit: “Let’s pound this cake!” That…is not a line I would have used. Let’s just say that. Let’s just say the double entendres aren’t fit for a young audience.

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Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Things Unspoken” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Fern, Green Ranger, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Things UnspokenSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E17 – “Things Unspoken”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Charlie Haskell
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Izzy’s Ranger duties jeopardize her relationship with Fern.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

“Things Unspoken” is a really good episode, with Izzy facing some serious secret identity drama. Not just with Fern, which is obviously the center of this episode, but with her choice of college, as well as her father. Power Rangers doesn’t always maximize its potential for drama when it comes to the heart-wrenching “hero life vs. personal life” stuff. But it does with “Things Unspoken,” and it’s the fans that ultimately reap the benefits.

So Izzy doesn’t want to attend her original college of choice, because it would take her away from Pine Ridge, the epicenter of her Ranger duties. This jeopardizes her relationship with Fern, who is attending said college. It also potentially puts her at odds with her father, who’s been working with her toward getting into that school.

The way this episode was assembled made me think of the way the show would write a character off back in the Mighty Morphin days. Jason, Zack, and Trini went away to a peace conference. Kimberly went away to be a competitive gymnast. And if the show were still operating the same way, Izzy would have gone away to college with Fern.

Green Ranger, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Things Unspoken

That entire playground fight sequence with the Green Ranger, Mucus, and the Hengemen was excellent. It looked like at least part of it was Sentai footage from Ryusoulger. If that’s the case, the transition between the Japanese and American footage was pretty seamless. Well done.

As Fern is leaving Pine Ridge on the bus, she calls out to Izzy: “May the power protect you!” That was a nice little moment. It does pose the question, though: Is that phrase public knowledge? I thought it was just a thing for Rangers…?

Oh well.

If we were ever going to get a same-sex kiss on this show, that last scene at the bus station would have been the time. Not that I was expecting one. This show is reticent enough about male-female kisses. Let alone one between two women.

Still, we got an “I love you” from both sides. By Power Rangers standards, that’s pretty good.

I had a thought about Fern as the episode was ending: As we know, the Dino Fury Rangers are sticking around through next year’s Cosmic Fury season. But if they wanted to extend the Dino Fury stuff out even further, they could make Fern into a Ranger in whatever incarnation of PR follows Cosmic Fury. I’m sure Jaqueline Joe, who plays Fern, would be up for it. And Tessa could come back here and there to do cameos. Seems like a win-win scenario to me!

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Wishful Thinking” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E16 – “Wishful Thinking”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: A Sporix Beast grants the Rangers’ wishes…with major consequences.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Torum Heng, who provides the voice for Mucus, also portrays her in human form in this episode (shown below). I love that this show gives voice actors like Heng and Campbell Cooley (who voices Scrozzle and Slyther) a chance to show off their in-person acting chops. Voice actors are often some of the most versatile and flamboyant performers you’ll ever see. Heng’s work in this episode is a testament to that.

The monster in this episode turns Ollie into an action figure, Amelia into a 12-year-old, and Izzy into a…smaller version of the T-Rex Champion Zord? I love that. What I love even more is that she actually fights as the zord. It’s pitch-perfect Power Rangers silliness.

What’s more, you’ve got to know Tessa Rao had fun doing those voiceover lines. The woman got to roar like a Tyrannosaurus, for cryin’ out loud! What’s not to like?

Then of course, we get the capper of the Red Ranger riding on the damn robot dinosaur during a fight. They were batting a thousand with this Izzy/T-Rex thing.

Shavaughn Ruakere returns as Ollie’s mother…whose first name is Lani, according to a Power Rangers wiki. She’s remarkably calm during her talk with Javi about not letting fame skew his priorities. Considering, y’know, her son is now six inches tall and made of plastic.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Morphin Master” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

Green Morphin Master, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Morphin MasterSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E15 – “Morphin Master”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: The Green Morphin Master aids the Rangers against Lord Zedd.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This episode drops a couple of big-picture bombs on us in terms of the larger PR universe. Let’s start with the Green Morphin Master saying that without the Morphin Grid, life cannot exist. That’s a pretty big proclamation. I was always under the impression that the Grid was something the Morphin Masters built themselves eons ago. It was once described to me by a superfan as: “The Force, if somebody built the Force.” Heck, back in Operation Overdrive we saw someone actually go in to the Morphin Grid.

So…something that sustains life in the universe? I don’t get it.

Moments later, we get the revelation that the Green Morphin Master was responsible for contacting Jason in “Grid Connection,” as well as summoning all the past Ranger teams in “Legendary Battle.” First of all, the fact that the episode spends so much time diving into continuity details like this speaks volumes as to the care being put into Dino Fury, and the affection its creators have for PR as a whole. I’m blown away.

Power Rangers Super Megaforce, Legendary Battle

Secondly, it’s awesome to get an explanation for how/why the past Ranger teams were summoned in the Super Megaforce finale. The added detail of the Rangers teleporting in balls of light in “Rafkon Revealed,” just as all the former Rangers did in “Legendary Battle,” is an attention to detail we rarely see on this show.

But one question remains…did the Green Morphin Master permanently restore all their powers? Or was this a one-shot deal? It seems like the latter is the case, otherwise she wouldn’t have needed to send the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin to Jason in “Grid Connection.” That notion is a little bit of a downer for me, as my own little head-canon had it that she restored all their powers. That would have easily explained how some of the past Rangers we saw in the show’s 25th anniversary episode, “Dimensions in Danger,” got their powers back…

It’s implied in this episode that the Green Morphin Master has interfered at a bunch of points in Power Rangers history, providing aid to teams who’ve needed it. I like that…to an extent. It could potentially explain some plot holes.

But at the same time, I’m not necessarily a fan of all Power Ranger teams having a “big brother” figure who can swoop in at the last minute as a deus ex machina. It lowers the stakes considerably if she can just wave a magic wand and save the day, just as she does with Zedd in this episode.

Rafkon destroyed, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Morphin Master

In stealing the Sporix Generator for himself, Zedd’s forces disrupt Rafkon’s planet core, causing it to explode. Granted, the planet is uninhabited at the time. So there’s no loss of life. But still, Zedd blows up a planet!

And not for the first time! Way back in “The Power Transfer,” Zedd used Serpentera to destroy the unnamed “deserted planet.” That planet, as the name suggests, was also uninhabited.

Lord Zedd, destroyer of (deserted) worlds! It does have a certain ring to it…

Zayto’s to Zedd: “Couldn’t let you destroy two planets today, Zedd.” I don’t like that line. It hits wrong. It almost makes light of the fact that Zayto just saw his homeworld blow up. Bad form.

Come to think of it, Dino Fury, and modern PR as a whole, has a problem with inappropriately placed humor. The best example of that you’ll ever find is in that same scene Zayto has the “two planets” line. Aiyon calls Zedd a chicken, and then goes “Moo.” It supposed to be a dramatic confrontation, as they’re coming face to face with Zedd after he friggin’ blew up their home planet. But it’s punctuated by a weird joke about animal noises.

As I make this comparison, I understand that Dino Fury isn’t Mighty Morphin, and that kids shows are done differently all these years later. But remember in “Return of an Old Friend, Part I” when Goldar blackmails the Rangers into giving up their Power Coins in exchange for their parents? And then he doesn’t live up to his end of the bargain? That’s a dramatic, scary scene. Especially for kids. It’s well assembled, and well performed.

Aiyon, Izzy, Javi, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Morphin Master

Now, imagine that same scene with a random animal noise joke. It would have killed all the tension. That’s what Aiyon’s line does to this confrontation with Zedd.

The Rangers’ new Dino Master Saber allows Aiyon to shift into Dino Master Mode, complete with a spiffy black cape. Considering they’re superheroes, it’s kind of amazing we haven’t seen more capes in almost 30 years of this franchise. Mystic Force notwithstanding, of course.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Rafkon Revealed” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E14 – “Rafkon Revealed”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: The Rangers travel to Zayto and Aiyon’s home planet of Rafkon.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

So the Rangers are leaving Earth undefended while they travel across the universe to Rafkon, eh? Who am I kidding? We just saw the Beast Morphers team in the previous episode. They’re around if something goes down, right?

The Rangers finally travel to Rafkon…and it looks exactly like Earth. I understand that Power Rangers is, and always has been, a kids show on a strict budget. But as far back as the mid-’90s, the show has had a simple trick to make mundane shooting locations feel like other planets: Tint the screen a certain color.

Go back and look at episodes like The Power Transfer in season two, or A Friend in Need in season three. The Rangers travel to other planets in those episodes, but if you pay attention to what’s actually around them, they’re almost never on any kind of extravagant sets. The show created an illusion using a fairly cheap trick. A trick that came in especially handy once they got to seasons like Power Rangers in Space. So what’s stopping them from using that trick here?

A shot from inside Lord Zedd’s visor (shown above)! That’s an old Mighty Morphin staple! I didn’t even realize how much I missed it!

But hey, right there! They tinted the shot red! So why can’t they use that trick (albeit not such an intense red the entire time) for a larger chunk of the episode?

Perhaps inevitably, it feels like Zedd has eclipsed Void Queen as far as being the big bad of Dino Fury. At least as far as these past few episodes are concerned. They had to know that was going to happen, to an extent. In addition to being a character from back in the day that longtime fans would naturally gravitate toward, design-wise Zedd is cooler than all the other villains by a mile. Hopefully they up Void Queen’s evil quotient as we inch closer to the end of Dino Fury. She certainly shouldn’t be shoved aside.

The Green Morphin Master appears at the end of the episode, having saved the Rangers from a face-off with Zedd. I was initially going to nitpick about them not bringing in former cast members to do the voices of these Morphin Masters. (Because why the hell not?) But as it turns out, they did!

Beth Allen, who voices the Green Morphin Master, had an on-screen role way back in S.P.D as a friend of Jack’s. She was later in Operation Overdrive as Tyzon’s fiancee, and then did the re-dubbing of Udonna’s voice in Beast Morphers. She never played a Ranger, and she’s never had what I would call a major role on the series. But she is technically a former cast member. So they get by on a technicality on that one…

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Love Hate” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E13 – “Love Hate”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Robyn Grace
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Lord Zedd takes control of Ollie on Valentine’s Day.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Campbell Cooley once again voices Scrozzle. Cooley also voices Slyther. At some point, Scrozzle and Slyther need to have some sort of dialogue together, just so I can hear Cooley’s two voices rub against one another.

Lord Zedd says Scrozzle “retrieved my staff from the Crystal Dimension.” Apparently that’s a thing from Beast Morphers that I haven’t gotten to yet. I’m assuming its some kind of place where villainous items from the past can be retrieved. I recall seeing Zedd’s staff in a clip from a Beast Morphers episode. So it must have been in this Crystal Dimension for some reason…

Tessa Rao, who plays Izzy, was really good in the Dinohenge scene where she learns about Ollie and Amelia’s feelings for each other. She came off genuinely happy and sympathetic.

Zedd to Ollie: “This is what you get for calling me radiator face!” That line is a callback to another callback.

Zedd and Scrozzle resurrect Boomtower as Boomblaster and give him some upgrades to take on the Rangers. Or rather…he’s a monster built with data from Boomtower? Eh. Let’s not split hairs. It’s Boomtower.

They finally leaned into the Ollie/Amelia romance for this episode. That’s obviously something the show had been building toward and teasing for a long while. In that sense, this episode is really satisfying.

I was pleasantly surprised that they ended up together at the end. I thought they’d draw the whole thing out a little longer by having Ollie lose his memory or something. But nope, they’re a couple!

But of course, they’re a couple who can’t kiss. (At least not until the end of the season…) That’s why Amelia wakes Ollie up at the end not by kissing him, but by telling him she likes him. Hokey, but perhaps a necessary concession on a show meant for young children.

At the end of the episode, we find out Zedd has the missing part of the Rangers’ Rafkon message. But it must be asked: Where did he get it?

The only potential hint for longtime PR fans is the fact that Rafkon is revealed to be “in the crux of the Onyx nebula.” A reference to the Onyx Tavern from in Space and Lost Galaxy, perhaps? I mean, probably not. But you never know.

I like that we now have two factions of villains: Void Queen’s group and Zedd’s group. It gives the show the feeling of having a rogues gallery, akin to a Batman or Spider-Man story.

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