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akinoameBlue to the Test (Judd Lynn): I’m glad to see that this episode didn’t harp too much on Kai’s tendency to be by-the-book when he really has loosened up a lot since “Quasar Quest” and “Race to the Rescue.” In fact, quite a few awesome moments in the season come as a result of defying orders—saving the Galactabeasts in “Race to the Rescue,” Mike standing up to the Councilors in “The Rescue Mission,” Deviot in general, the times people have sacrificed themselves, and every single time Leo defies orders of bedrest to help his team. Rather, they focus more on Kai’s hesitation to contradict Commander Stanton, whom he has a little gay crush on. What? Okay, he at the very least hero-worships him to no end. The setup with Stanton telling him he had to trust his instincts was more for the contrast when brainwashed!Stanton told him that he needed to obey orders like a good little soldier. You saw that Kai knew from the start that he was right, and I thought it was awesome when he openly defied him, with all of the others in Command looking at him in shock. The way it was worded was also excellent—when Stanton asks if he’s refusing orders, Kai stands in shocked silence for a moment, considering it, before simply answering, “I won’t change course, sir!” It shows that he’s doing this with respect, but he does know he’s right and that this will endanger the colony.
But I am going to admit that this really bugged me in terms of the command structure of Terra Venture and the GSA. Kai is stripped of his rank and thrown out for this insubordination, which I guess I can understand. But when everyone’s hearing that he’s insisting this could put them in the path of the star, why doesn’t anybody—Kai included—go to the Council? They’re higher-ranked than Stanton, and he has to report to them about how far they’ve come or if they need to change course or whatever (“Destined for Greatness,” “The Rescue Mission,” “Green Courage”). Also, while it’s a nice touch that Stanton put Kai in charge when he took his day off…is everybody forgetting Mike? You know, Mr. Second in Command of the GSA? Doesn’t he get a say in any of this? Hell, he was conspicuously absent all episode! Like Kendrix, he really only showed up in morph for any significant amount of time, and Kendrix at least has an excuse on account of her actress!
If you listen carefully to Pink Ranger in this episode, you can tell that they’re using a different actress for her. And she’s a really bad voice match of Valerie Vernon. I mean, I can’t say she’s a bad actress, whoever she is, but she really sucks at imitating Valerie.
Mean Wheels Mantis (Judd Lynn): Random note to begin: For some reason, they use an old version of the opening sequence to start this off, from “Redemption Day,” which is missing Mike and shows the original Magna Defender walking like a badass. No real point to this other than it’s an odd error to have. But hey, it’s not like Mike isn’t Sir Not Appearing In This Episode today. Other things to note: Valerie Vernon’s substitute is still voicing Pink Ranger, and we see a body double who remains silent at the end. And the villain is a grasshopper riding a motorcycle. No, never heard of anything like this before.
I really wish I could say this episode was filler. Unfortunately, it was important to introduce the Red Capsular Cycle. Kamen Rider Motor Mantis was a really annoying villain, and I’ve got to say that racing episodes are really dull. But it was nice to see the way Leo, Kai, and Damon played off each other when trying to repair the bikes. Leo was taking his failure hard and really pushing Damon to work miracles, and Kai was trying to remind him that Motor Mantis was too fast for him alone, that they had to come up with something else to save the girls. And it was kind of nice seeing Leo trying to understand the Red Galactabeast, especially after we’ve seen how Maya connects with hers and how Magna Defender was so close to Torozord. But otherwise, I’ve got to say that this episode was pretty painful to sit through.
Loyax’ Last Battle [sic] (Judd Lynn): Again, no sign of Mike in the opening credits. This really strikes me as weird given that even if a main character doesn’t appear in an episode, generally, they remain in the credits. They’ve thrown some people in when they’ve guest-starred despite being hired as major players (Bulk and Prof. Phenomenous), but cutting out Mike just because he’s not in this episode? Really odd, especially with the care given later to ensure Kendrix is still listed.
And on a note about the title: Yes, that’s how they spell it. I can understand confusion about an apostrophe when a name ends with an “s” (for example, Andros’s or Andros’), but an “x”? Really?
I’m…a little mixed on this one. I really want to like it, but I feel like it tries to accomplish too much. There are too many themes thrown in here for it to feel natural.
First off is the issue of feminism. Power Rangers has always had this tradition of strong female characters, be they good or evil: Rita, Scorpina, Trini, Kimberly, Aisha, Kat, Tanya, Archerina (Machina didn’t do all that much that I can think of), Divatox, Ashley, Cassie, Astronema/Karone, Maya, Kendrix, and Trakeena up until this point. The list goes on when you add every single heroine and villainess from Lightspeed Rescue through RPM, notably Jen in Time Force as the one everyone can agree on. So I really had a hard time buying the idea that Maya needed to prove her worth to Loyax despite her gender. Especially given that Trakeena is the current Queen of Evil or whatever, and Loyax clearly respects her. They drop the issue halfway through the episode, but the fact that they’re so insistent on it in the beginning and that the preview implies this is a big deal that makes it all the more bothersome for me.
Then you’ve got the underlying Power Rangers theme of redemption—something introduced last season, that you’re not necessarily born good or evil; it’s the choices you make later in life. I was impressed to hear that Loyax had been on the side of good earlier in his life and that he just succumbed to evil because the Dark Side was easier. It made sense for why he was so noble and so honorable, and it really showed that there is such a fine line between a noble villain and the side of good that they can cross it without realizing it (Ecliptor, Villamax). That Maya was so insistent that he could change really, I think, captured a huge theme present since “Green With Evil” all the way through Tenaya in “Danger and Destiny”—that you can always find your way to the light and redeem yourself (which is why I was so incredibly pissed about Ecliptor in “Countdown to Destruction”: this theme says that nobody is ever irredeemable, and the single most redeemable character in possibly the whole franchise is dusted). However, on the other side, you’ve got the people who believe that “Once evil, always evil” (an exact phrase that’ll pop up in “Facing the Past,” which surprises me given that that episode wouldn’t even have been thought of yet). Loyax’s feelings that he was too far gone and Maya’s determination to prove there was still good in him is pretty much a central theme for the entire franchise.
And then you’ve got the issue of honor vs. treachery. When we’re introduced to Loyax, Villamax holds him in the highest respect, arguing that he’s the strongest warrior ever. Villamax would be impressed with him, given they both uphold these very non-evil ideals of loyalty, honor, and nobility. Deviot, however, believes that Loyax is just a washed-up old coot. Given that Deviot is one of the most treacherous characters outside of Shakespeare, this also makes sense. He insists on interfering with Loyax’s battle with Maya, just to ensure that Maya is destroyed, all while Loyax insists it has to be a one-on-one duel. When he sees Loyax beginning to accept Maya’s philosophy that he can be redeemed, Deviot shoots him full of growth potion and a control device. And of course, he’s the one who destroys Loyax in the end. It’s a very important theme for Lost Galaxy, as it gets closer to the end, but I feel like with all of the other themes (and the feminism theme feeling more tacked-on than anything), it doesn’t work as well as it could. And neither does the episode, unfortunately.
A Red Romance (Judd Lynn): Missing Mike again. I’m really wondering where the hell he is. I mean, this is a space station! It’s hard for somebody to disappear when they’re on such a limited space.
While this episode isn’t as painful as I found “Mean Wheels Mantis” to be, it’s still a pretty sorry episode. Leo falls hard and fast for this girl, Ginger, but she’s got a psychotically overprotective brother, Colby. Why do I say psychotic? Well, while Leo was holding Ginger fairly close because of rescuing her, there was no indication that Ginger felt threatened. Still, Colby grabs Leo and throws him into a picnic table, and when he apologizes, Leo looks a little hesitant before forgiving him. And when Leo—a supposedly ordinary man—reports that he couldn’t save Ginger from Maronda, Colby insists he’s a coward and must have run. Right, because a supposedly ordinary man is going to be able to successfully fight off a monster, when their usual pattern is to attack randomly and go for victims who don’t give them that much trouble.
Though I do wonder why Leo even bothers with a secret identity at this point. There shouldn’t be a choice between saving somebody or hiding your secret, and when it comes to Lost Galaxy, it really bugs me. On Terra Venture, everybody is going to eventually come to know everybody, and with all of the absences the GSA staff Rangers obviously have due to monster attacks, it’d just be easier for them to tell Commander Stanton, “Hey, we’re the Power Rangers—we need to take lunch early to fight a monster.” And there’s no real reason they have to keep a secret identity; the nature of Terra Venture means that they already don’t have much of a “normal life” to disrupt because they already have to adapt normal life to fit around the space colony environment, and they don’t have a mentor instructing them to keep their identities secret. Time Force had an excuse: they were time-travelers, and if they said on, it’d lead to a bunch of bad wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. Many of the later seasons did have personal lives to disrupt, and Lightspeed, SPD, and RPM didn’t bother because they needed to be seen as public servants or they figured, “Hey, domed city, everyone’s going to know already.”
The editing and the battle were also really disappointing. At one point, Leo splits away from the others (who are fighting Stingwingers) to go after Maronda. The very next thing we see, it cuts into the Japanese stock footage, and Red Ranger suddenly has Maronda’s amulet, and the other Rangers are right there next to him! And I fail to see how a woman on a cobra-themed motorcycle can defeat the all-powerful Lights of Orion, yet a normal guy on a motorcycle can give her a run for her money! Yes, it’s a Sentai issue, but it’s still ridiculous. The fighting scenes in the American footage weren’t all that impressive either, given most of it was just Colby attempting to fight Maronda and getting his ass kicked, and Leo attempting to fight Maronda and getting his ass kicked slightly less until he decided to put himself in the path of a blast meant for Colby.
The most annoying part is that we’re introduced to Ginger and we see how much she and Leo like each other, right in the middle of the aborted romance between Leo and Kendrix because of Valerie Vernon’s illness. I can understand why they can’t show Kendrix or anything—there’s still a body double, coupled with a couple of bits of stock footage of Valerie Vernon’s face (at least in the previous episode), though the ADR sounds more like Kendrix now—but it still feels awkward.
And we know we’re never going to see hide nor hair of this new girlfriend ever again, which is what always pisses me off about Power Ranger romance stories that are outside the team (and hell, sometimes within the team as well, given the lack of resolution for Flynn/Gemma and apparently Kira/Trent). In the case of Zack and Angela back in the original, you at least saw how Zack’s responsibilities as a Power Ranger interfered with his attempts to woo her. It was a great setup for the idea that as Rangers, they’re going to have to make a lot of sacrifices or at least a lot of concessions so they’ll be able to maintain both lives. While I can’t say Zack/Angela was exactly my OTP, it did at least try to have a recurring Ranger/non-team member romance. Ginger is just a oneshot girlfriend, like so many others in the franchise.
The Chameliac Warrior (Judd Lynn): Oh, hey, look who’s back! It’s Mike. Cold open and in the credits. Must have been one long workout he was on. Furthermore, when we see Mike in the Megaship infirmary (must be a Corbett family trait or something), we pan across the Rangers and…wow, Valerie Vernon’s there! The real Kendrix is back for the next few episodes!
Overall, this episode wasn’t too bad. I did have some issues with Villamax’s characterization, since he seemed to act a little more like Deviot in yelling at the Stingwingers and the whole laser bit. But they’re not major OOC moments, so I can let it slide. Also, Mike’s role in this episode was really under-utilized, I think, until he discovered what the laser was for and went to stop it.
Chameliac was a good villain, and I’ve got to say, if they had him from the start, Scorpius wouldn’t have been stressing about the Quasar Sabers or the Lights of Orion, or even Magna Defender. He easily wipes the floor with the Rangers and Mike, until the Rangers get the brilliant idea to…no, not dye their suits all the same color, but to trade fighting styles and weapons. I’m going to say that I never understand just why the Rangers—after having succeeded with this plan—always go back to their original styles and weapons right after. This happened back in “Five of a Kind” too. There’s always the risk that the monster (or in that case, Psycho Ranger) will be able to switch back to default, since you’re making it easier for him, but they always get lucky that it doesn’t happen.
Got to say though, small thing, but I really loved the music they played for the Stratoforce Megazord’s battle. Just electric guitars, but it was very classic and it really did make the battle feel more exciting (yes, I’ve just seen the first part of Linkara’s review of this season, why do you ask?). I’d complained in “Quasar Quest” about the silence and the lack of original music, but here’s a really good piece and at a point in the season where you do need to build up the epic nature. Sidenote: I also liked the kind of ironic note of the Power Rangers in Space “heroic entrance theme” in “Loyax’ Last Battle” as Maya is hiding, and though I love the background songs in RPM, I wasn’t hot on the one in “A Red Romance.” Possibly because I wasn’t fond of the episode and possibly because it was too short. And on top of everything, it emphasized that “until tomorrow,” they’re having fun together. When even the music is pointing out she’s a oneshot girlfriend, that’s just sad.
But I am going to admit that this really bugged me in terms of the command structure of Terra Venture and the GSA. Kai is stripped of his rank and thrown out for this insubordination, which I guess I can understand. But when everyone’s hearing that he’s insisting this could put them in the path of the star, why doesn’t anybody—Kai included—go to the Council? They’re higher-ranked than Stanton, and he has to report to them about how far they’ve come or if they need to change course or whatever (“Destined for Greatness,” “The Rescue Mission,” “Green Courage”). Also, while it’s a nice touch that Stanton put Kai in charge when he took his day off…is everybody forgetting Mike? You know, Mr. Second in Command of the GSA? Doesn’t he get a say in any of this? Hell, he was conspicuously absent all episode! Like Kendrix, he really only showed up in morph for any significant amount of time, and Kendrix at least has an excuse on account of her actress!
If you listen carefully to Pink Ranger in this episode, you can tell that they’re using a different actress for her. And she’s a really bad voice match of Valerie Vernon. I mean, I can’t say she’s a bad actress, whoever she is, but she really sucks at imitating Valerie.
Mean Wheels Mantis (Judd Lynn): Random note to begin: For some reason, they use an old version of the opening sequence to start this off, from “Redemption Day,” which is missing Mike and shows the original Magna Defender walking like a badass. No real point to this other than it’s an odd error to have. But hey, it’s not like Mike isn’t Sir Not Appearing In This Episode today. Other things to note: Valerie Vernon’s substitute is still voicing Pink Ranger, and we see a body double who remains silent at the end. And the villain is a grasshopper riding a motorcycle. No, never heard of anything like this before.
I really wish I could say this episode was filler. Unfortunately, it was important to introduce the Red Capsular Cycle. Kamen Rider Motor Mantis was a really annoying villain, and I’ve got to say that racing episodes are really dull. But it was nice to see the way Leo, Kai, and Damon played off each other when trying to repair the bikes. Leo was taking his failure hard and really pushing Damon to work miracles, and Kai was trying to remind him that Motor Mantis was too fast for him alone, that they had to come up with something else to save the girls. And it was kind of nice seeing Leo trying to understand the Red Galactabeast, especially after we’ve seen how Maya connects with hers and how Magna Defender was so close to Torozord. But otherwise, I’ve got to say that this episode was pretty painful to sit through.
Loyax’ Last Battle [sic] (Judd Lynn): Again, no sign of Mike in the opening credits. This really strikes me as weird given that even if a main character doesn’t appear in an episode, generally, they remain in the credits. They’ve thrown some people in when they’ve guest-starred despite being hired as major players (Bulk and Prof. Phenomenous), but cutting out Mike just because he’s not in this episode? Really odd, especially with the care given later to ensure Kendrix is still listed.
And on a note about the title: Yes, that’s how they spell it. I can understand confusion about an apostrophe when a name ends with an “s” (for example, Andros’s or Andros’), but an “x”? Really?
I’m…a little mixed on this one. I really want to like it, but I feel like it tries to accomplish too much. There are too many themes thrown in here for it to feel natural.
First off is the issue of feminism. Power Rangers has always had this tradition of strong female characters, be they good or evil: Rita, Scorpina, Trini, Kimberly, Aisha, Kat, Tanya, Archerina (Machina didn’t do all that much that I can think of), Divatox, Ashley, Cassie, Astronema/Karone, Maya, Kendrix, and Trakeena up until this point. The list goes on when you add every single heroine and villainess from Lightspeed Rescue through RPM, notably Jen in Time Force as the one everyone can agree on. So I really had a hard time buying the idea that Maya needed to prove her worth to Loyax despite her gender. Especially given that Trakeena is the current Queen of Evil or whatever, and Loyax clearly respects her. They drop the issue halfway through the episode, but the fact that they’re so insistent on it in the beginning and that the preview implies this is a big deal that makes it all the more bothersome for me.
Then you’ve got the underlying Power Rangers theme of redemption—something introduced last season, that you’re not necessarily born good or evil; it’s the choices you make later in life. I was impressed to hear that Loyax had been on the side of good earlier in his life and that he just succumbed to evil because the Dark Side was easier. It made sense for why he was so noble and so honorable, and it really showed that there is such a fine line between a noble villain and the side of good that they can cross it without realizing it (Ecliptor, Villamax). That Maya was so insistent that he could change really, I think, captured a huge theme present since “Green With Evil” all the way through Tenaya in “Danger and Destiny”—that you can always find your way to the light and redeem yourself (which is why I was so incredibly pissed about Ecliptor in “Countdown to Destruction”: this theme says that nobody is ever irredeemable, and the single most redeemable character in possibly the whole franchise is dusted). However, on the other side, you’ve got the people who believe that “Once evil, always evil” (an exact phrase that’ll pop up in “Facing the Past,” which surprises me given that that episode wouldn’t even have been thought of yet). Loyax’s feelings that he was too far gone and Maya’s determination to prove there was still good in him is pretty much a central theme for the entire franchise.
And then you’ve got the issue of honor vs. treachery. When we’re introduced to Loyax, Villamax holds him in the highest respect, arguing that he’s the strongest warrior ever. Villamax would be impressed with him, given they both uphold these very non-evil ideals of loyalty, honor, and nobility. Deviot, however, believes that Loyax is just a washed-up old coot. Given that Deviot is one of the most treacherous characters outside of Shakespeare, this also makes sense. He insists on interfering with Loyax’s battle with Maya, just to ensure that Maya is destroyed, all while Loyax insists it has to be a one-on-one duel. When he sees Loyax beginning to accept Maya’s philosophy that he can be redeemed, Deviot shoots him full of growth potion and a control device. And of course, he’s the one who destroys Loyax in the end. It’s a very important theme for Lost Galaxy, as it gets closer to the end, but I feel like with all of the other themes (and the feminism theme feeling more tacked-on than anything), it doesn’t work as well as it could. And neither does the episode, unfortunately.
A Red Romance (Judd Lynn): Missing Mike again. I’m really wondering where the hell he is. I mean, this is a space station! It’s hard for somebody to disappear when they’re on such a limited space.
While this episode isn’t as painful as I found “Mean Wheels Mantis” to be, it’s still a pretty sorry episode. Leo falls hard and fast for this girl, Ginger, but she’s got a psychotically overprotective brother, Colby. Why do I say psychotic? Well, while Leo was holding Ginger fairly close because of rescuing her, there was no indication that Ginger felt threatened. Still, Colby grabs Leo and throws him into a picnic table, and when he apologizes, Leo looks a little hesitant before forgiving him. And when Leo—a supposedly ordinary man—reports that he couldn’t save Ginger from Maronda, Colby insists he’s a coward and must have run. Right, because a supposedly ordinary man is going to be able to successfully fight off a monster, when their usual pattern is to attack randomly and go for victims who don’t give them that much trouble.
Though I do wonder why Leo even bothers with a secret identity at this point. There shouldn’t be a choice between saving somebody or hiding your secret, and when it comes to Lost Galaxy, it really bugs me. On Terra Venture, everybody is going to eventually come to know everybody, and with all of the absences the GSA staff Rangers obviously have due to monster attacks, it’d just be easier for them to tell Commander Stanton, “Hey, we’re the Power Rangers—we need to take lunch early to fight a monster.” And there’s no real reason they have to keep a secret identity; the nature of Terra Venture means that they already don’t have much of a “normal life” to disrupt because they already have to adapt normal life to fit around the space colony environment, and they don’t have a mentor instructing them to keep their identities secret. Time Force had an excuse: they were time-travelers, and if they said on, it’d lead to a bunch of bad wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. Many of the later seasons did have personal lives to disrupt, and Lightspeed, SPD, and RPM didn’t bother because they needed to be seen as public servants or they figured, “Hey, domed city, everyone’s going to know already.”
The editing and the battle were also really disappointing. At one point, Leo splits away from the others (who are fighting Stingwingers) to go after Maronda. The very next thing we see, it cuts into the Japanese stock footage, and Red Ranger suddenly has Maronda’s amulet, and the other Rangers are right there next to him! And I fail to see how a woman on a cobra-themed motorcycle can defeat the all-powerful Lights of Orion, yet a normal guy on a motorcycle can give her a run for her money! Yes, it’s a Sentai issue, but it’s still ridiculous. The fighting scenes in the American footage weren’t all that impressive either, given most of it was just Colby attempting to fight Maronda and getting his ass kicked, and Leo attempting to fight Maronda and getting his ass kicked slightly less until he decided to put himself in the path of a blast meant for Colby.
The most annoying part is that we’re introduced to Ginger and we see how much she and Leo like each other, right in the middle of the aborted romance between Leo and Kendrix because of Valerie Vernon’s illness. I can understand why they can’t show Kendrix or anything—there’s still a body double, coupled with a couple of bits of stock footage of Valerie Vernon’s face (at least in the previous episode), though the ADR sounds more like Kendrix now—but it still feels awkward.
And we know we’re never going to see hide nor hair of this new girlfriend ever again, which is what always pisses me off about Power Ranger romance stories that are outside the team (and hell, sometimes within the team as well, given the lack of resolution for Flynn/Gemma and apparently Kira/Trent). In the case of Zack and Angela back in the original, you at least saw how Zack’s responsibilities as a Power Ranger interfered with his attempts to woo her. It was a great setup for the idea that as Rangers, they’re going to have to make a lot of sacrifices or at least a lot of concessions so they’ll be able to maintain both lives. While I can’t say Zack/Angela was exactly my OTP, it did at least try to have a recurring Ranger/non-team member romance. Ginger is just a oneshot girlfriend, like so many others in the franchise.
The Chameliac Warrior (Judd Lynn): Oh, hey, look who’s back! It’s Mike. Cold open and in the credits. Must have been one long workout he was on. Furthermore, when we see Mike in the Megaship infirmary (must be a Corbett family trait or something), we pan across the Rangers and…wow, Valerie Vernon’s there! The real Kendrix is back for the next few episodes!
Overall, this episode wasn’t too bad. I did have some issues with Villamax’s characterization, since he seemed to act a little more like Deviot in yelling at the Stingwingers and the whole laser bit. But they’re not major OOC moments, so I can let it slide. Also, Mike’s role in this episode was really under-utilized, I think, until he discovered what the laser was for and went to stop it.
Chameliac was a good villain, and I’ve got to say, if they had him from the start, Scorpius wouldn’t have been stressing about the Quasar Sabers or the Lights of Orion, or even Magna Defender. He easily wipes the floor with the Rangers and Mike, until the Rangers get the brilliant idea to…no, not dye their suits all the same color, but to trade fighting styles and weapons. I’m going to say that I never understand just why the Rangers—after having succeeded with this plan—always go back to their original styles and weapons right after. This happened back in “Five of a Kind” too. There’s always the risk that the monster (or in that case, Psycho Ranger) will be able to switch back to default, since you’re making it easier for him, but they always get lucky that it doesn’t happen.
Got to say though, small thing, but I really loved the music they played for the Stratoforce Megazord’s battle. Just electric guitars, but it was very classic and it really did make the battle feel more exciting (yes, I’ve just seen the first part of Linkara’s review of this season, why do you ask?). I’d complained in “Quasar Quest” about the silence and the lack of original music, but here’s a really good piece and at a point in the season where you do need to build up the epic nature. Sidenote: I also liked the kind of ironic note of the Power Rangers in Space “heroic entrance theme” in “Loyax’ Last Battle” as Maya is hiding, and though I love the background songs in RPM, I wasn’t hot on the one in “A Red Romance.” Possibly because I wasn’t fond of the episode and possibly because it was too short. And on top of everything, it emphasized that “until tomorrow,” they’re having fun together. When even the music is pointing out she’s a oneshot girlfriend, that’s just sad.