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akinoameGrunchor on the Loose (Judd Lynn): Trakeena has been removed from the credits, at least for now given she’s not the major villain as long as they’re in the Lost Galaxy. Also, I think Grunchor’s roar is recycled audio from the Dragonzord.
Logic holes: Why is Captain Mutiny worried about what Trakeena would do to him if she found out Deviot’s working for him if he’s in a pocket dimension galaxy hellhole that she’s too scared to step foot in? Well, that one could be reasonable if he doesn’t know that she fears the Lost Galaxy, but how does he even know about Trakeena anyway? Does the pocket dimension galaxy hellhole get TMZ or something to report on dangerous villains? How is Deviot controlling Grunchor with a scanner? And even if the Rangers were mistaken, how is it that Grunchor just decides to go away when Deviot loses the scanner? Why are there subways on Terra Venture? Does it count as splitting up if Leo and Mike go one way and the other four all stick together to go the other? How can Grunchor go from the City Dome to the Mountain Dome in just a few seconds?
I just do not get the video editing decisions this episode. Several of the logic holes come from rather poor editing choices: the subway trains being shown when they could have just shown the underground being attacked and cutting to American footage of civilians underground being under attack (which they actually did, except they still insisted on showing the trains), the ridiculously fast movement of Grunchor and pretty much everybody across domes (the Mike and Leo footage was American and could have been reworked somehow so it fit), and random cuts to American footage in the middle of the Sentai battle footage—all just to put in a Ranger hitting a Swabbie or something. This I’d be okay with if not for the footage being so drastically different quality. The exposure on the Sentai footage is almost orangey and blurry, compared to the more faded but clearer look of the Power Rangers footage. If Nickelodeon and Saban bring this to DVD, I really hope they clean up the contrast here and in other Saban first-run seasons.
Also, Mike just sacrificed himself and probably got his ass kicked trying to save the Galaxy Megazord from Grunchor. We don’t see him get up. Why is nobody bothered about this comes the end? I get that it’s important that Kai flips the hell out that he can’t find Captain Mutiny’s planet on the scanners anymore because the Lost Galaxy is weird as hell, but seriously? Not even a comment of “Oh, is Mike okay?”
This episode really disappointed me because it could have been fairly good. Unfortunately, it was a big mess of video editing and some issues with the script not making a lick of sense. But I did like when all of the other Rangers joined Leo in his cockpit to join their powers—and those of the Centaurus and Stratoforce Megazords)—to incinerate Grunchor. It fit the theme of friendship that’s been building the entire time and that I really loved in “The Power of Pink” and “Protect the Quasar Saber.” Sadly, the rest of the episode really fell flat.
Until Sunset (Judd Lynn): Trakeena returns to the credits, as it’s a flashback episode. I like to see that Deviot is still all in favor of killing the Rangers once he’s got them captured (to quote the Joker, “Hello? He’s still alive!”), but this time, he’s willing to wait a couple of hours for Captain Mutiny to arrive at sunset. Plus, with it being a desert wasteland and all, there’s a chance Leo and Damon will die before then anyway. Even though sunset is just a few hours away, there’s no telling how time will pass in the Lost Galaxy, which justifies how blistered and dehydrated Leo and Damon get so quickly.
Throughout the flashbacks, I like how Damon and Leo told it. They’re trying to keep each other focused on something other than their imminent deaths, and as the heat gets to them, they’re able to admit things that they normally wouldn’t. Leo very quietly admits that he’d been afraid that he’d never see Mike again, and it really speaks a lot for how Danny Slavin’s acting improved throughout the course of the season—the subtlety carries the emotion in a way he didn’t have before. Damon does a hilarious impression of the Magna Defender, and Leo confesses that he’d always known there was a connection between Magna and Mike. And Damon and Leo both admit that they think Trakeena is cute. Reminds me of a moment in Ben 10: Alien Force “In Charm’s Way,” to be honest. I also like that when Leo insists that the Psycho Rangers were the worst enemies they’ve ever fought, he argues that it’s because they were unstoppable without the Space Rangers around to help, and that thanks to Psycho Pink, they lost Kendrix. Tellingly, Leo admits that he has a feeling they’ll see her again someday, and Damon adds that Karone “fits right in” with the team.
Funny also is Damon being relieved when Leo tells him that the others will be there soon, thinking that Leo told them where they were going, only for Leo to get pissed reminding him that it was his job to do that. Also, Damon apparently shaves his pits. And for sunset, it looks an awful lot like late afternoon. Couldn’t you at least put a filter on the camera?
But I really like how both Leo and Damon were willing to sacrifice themselves for the other, again fitting with the constant background theme. But of course, being the macho guys they are, after confirming to Damon that he would have taken the hit first, Leo admits, “I think I was delirious.” Nothing like a couple of guys who can’t admit they care about each other.
Dream Battle (Jill Donnellan): Got to say? It’s hilarious hearing Karone tell Maya, “Never complain about flowers,” when they see the bouquet supposedly from the boys. This is the girl who blew up Zhane and his roses for being late to their date.
Leo, if you find the bouquet of flowers suspicious—especially when the last to sniff them was Kai, who mysteriously ended up exhausted and is now in a coma—do not sniff them! And warn your brother before he can smell them too! Did they not watch The Wizard of Oz with the poppies?
Nits regarding the Galactazords: Small one: Keep track of your Megazords. Don’t call for Stratoforce when you want Centaurus. Bigger one: I wish they’d remember that the Zords in this season are living creatures. This one really comes down to not remembering the Galactabeasts are alive when you’re writing the script, rather than an issue of stock footage. They got it earlier on, so it bugs me seeing it apparently forgotten or brushed over in the later episodes. There’s no reason the Rangers should be able to call on the Zords in their dream if there’s no indication that the Galactabeasts haven’t fallen asleep too. And if it’s a matter of them being able to call on anything in a dream, then why not go nuts and call on a Death Star or something?
…Okay, did that seriously just cut from the Galaxy Megazord Saber powering up to the monster exploding? I just reran it twice, and it’s the same. I knew I saw it earlier; this is such a terrible moment of editing!
It is a pretty good moment for Mike to take the spotlight, however brief. I really like how you see that he’s protective of Leo again because he goes completely into big brother mode when Leo’s drifting in and out of consciousness. Then when Leo does pass out, you see Mike’s determination as he tries to track down the florists (sidenote: You can have empty storefronts on Terra Venture? That seems counterintuitive for a space colony with its own economic system that would not be affected as easily as an Earth one) and faces down Hexuba alone and unmorphed. I really haven’t gotten a good feel for his character, so moments like these are important to see.
Logic holes: Why is Captain Mutiny worried about what Trakeena would do to him if she found out Deviot’s working for him if he’s in a pocket dimension galaxy hellhole that she’s too scared to step foot in? Well, that one could be reasonable if he doesn’t know that she fears the Lost Galaxy, but how does he even know about Trakeena anyway? Does the pocket dimension galaxy hellhole get TMZ or something to report on dangerous villains? How is Deviot controlling Grunchor with a scanner? And even if the Rangers were mistaken, how is it that Grunchor just decides to go away when Deviot loses the scanner? Why are there subways on Terra Venture? Does it count as splitting up if Leo and Mike go one way and the other four all stick together to go the other? How can Grunchor go from the City Dome to the Mountain Dome in just a few seconds?
I just do not get the video editing decisions this episode. Several of the logic holes come from rather poor editing choices: the subway trains being shown when they could have just shown the underground being attacked and cutting to American footage of civilians underground being under attack (which they actually did, except they still insisted on showing the trains), the ridiculously fast movement of Grunchor and pretty much everybody across domes (the Mike and Leo footage was American and could have been reworked somehow so it fit), and random cuts to American footage in the middle of the Sentai battle footage—all just to put in a Ranger hitting a Swabbie or something. This I’d be okay with if not for the footage being so drastically different quality. The exposure on the Sentai footage is almost orangey and blurry, compared to the more faded but clearer look of the Power Rangers footage. If Nickelodeon and Saban bring this to DVD, I really hope they clean up the contrast here and in other Saban first-run seasons.
Also, Mike just sacrificed himself and probably got his ass kicked trying to save the Galaxy Megazord from Grunchor. We don’t see him get up. Why is nobody bothered about this comes the end? I get that it’s important that Kai flips the hell out that he can’t find Captain Mutiny’s planet on the scanners anymore because the Lost Galaxy is weird as hell, but seriously? Not even a comment of “Oh, is Mike okay?”
This episode really disappointed me because it could have been fairly good. Unfortunately, it was a big mess of video editing and some issues with the script not making a lick of sense. But I did like when all of the other Rangers joined Leo in his cockpit to join their powers—and those of the Centaurus and Stratoforce Megazords)—to incinerate Grunchor. It fit the theme of friendship that’s been building the entire time and that I really loved in “The Power of Pink” and “Protect the Quasar Saber.” Sadly, the rest of the episode really fell flat.
Until Sunset (Judd Lynn): Trakeena returns to the credits, as it’s a flashback episode. I like to see that Deviot is still all in favor of killing the Rangers once he’s got them captured (to quote the Joker, “Hello? He’s still alive!”), but this time, he’s willing to wait a couple of hours for Captain Mutiny to arrive at sunset. Plus, with it being a desert wasteland and all, there’s a chance Leo and Damon will die before then anyway. Even though sunset is just a few hours away, there’s no telling how time will pass in the Lost Galaxy, which justifies how blistered and dehydrated Leo and Damon get so quickly.
Throughout the flashbacks, I like how Damon and Leo told it. They’re trying to keep each other focused on something other than their imminent deaths, and as the heat gets to them, they’re able to admit things that they normally wouldn’t. Leo very quietly admits that he’d been afraid that he’d never see Mike again, and it really speaks a lot for how Danny Slavin’s acting improved throughout the course of the season—the subtlety carries the emotion in a way he didn’t have before. Damon does a hilarious impression of the Magna Defender, and Leo confesses that he’d always known there was a connection between Magna and Mike. And Damon and Leo both admit that they think Trakeena is cute. Reminds me of a moment in Ben 10: Alien Force “In Charm’s Way,” to be honest. I also like that when Leo insists that the Psycho Rangers were the worst enemies they’ve ever fought, he argues that it’s because they were unstoppable without the Space Rangers around to help, and that thanks to Psycho Pink, they lost Kendrix. Tellingly, Leo admits that he has a feeling they’ll see her again someday, and Damon adds that Karone “fits right in” with the team.
Funny also is Damon being relieved when Leo tells him that the others will be there soon, thinking that Leo told them where they were going, only for Leo to get pissed reminding him that it was his job to do that. Also, Damon apparently shaves his pits. And for sunset, it looks an awful lot like late afternoon. Couldn’t you at least put a filter on the camera?
But I really like how both Leo and Damon were willing to sacrifice themselves for the other, again fitting with the constant background theme. But of course, being the macho guys they are, after confirming to Damon that he would have taken the hit first, Leo admits, “I think I was delirious.” Nothing like a couple of guys who can’t admit they care about each other.
Dream Battle (Jill Donnellan): Got to say? It’s hilarious hearing Karone tell Maya, “Never complain about flowers,” when they see the bouquet supposedly from the boys. This is the girl who blew up Zhane and his roses for being late to their date.
Leo, if you find the bouquet of flowers suspicious—especially when the last to sniff them was Kai, who mysteriously ended up exhausted and is now in a coma—do not sniff them! And warn your brother before he can smell them too! Did they not watch The Wizard of Oz with the poppies?
Nits regarding the Galactazords: Small one: Keep track of your Megazords. Don’t call for Stratoforce when you want Centaurus. Bigger one: I wish they’d remember that the Zords in this season are living creatures. This one really comes down to not remembering the Galactabeasts are alive when you’re writing the script, rather than an issue of stock footage. They got it earlier on, so it bugs me seeing it apparently forgotten or brushed over in the later episodes. There’s no reason the Rangers should be able to call on the Zords in their dream if there’s no indication that the Galactabeasts haven’t fallen asleep too. And if it’s a matter of them being able to call on anything in a dream, then why not go nuts and call on a Death Star or something?
…Okay, did that seriously just cut from the Galaxy Megazord Saber powering up to the monster exploding? I just reran it twice, and it’s the same. I knew I saw it earlier; this is such a terrible moment of editing!
It is a pretty good moment for Mike to take the spotlight, however brief. I really like how you see that he’s protective of Leo again because he goes completely into big brother mode when Leo’s drifting in and out of consciousness. Then when Leo does pass out, you see Mike’s determination as he tries to track down the florists (sidenote: You can have empty storefronts on Terra Venture? That seems counterintuitive for a space colony with its own economic system that would not be affected as easily as an Earth one) and faces down Hexuba alone and unmorphed. I really haven’t gotten a good feel for his character, so moments like these are important to see.