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The first hints of sacrifice: Lost Galaxy 22-24
An Evil Game (Judd Lynn): Fittingly for an episode directed by Power Rangers’ man of action himself, Koichi Sakamoto, this episode features some awesome fight scenes. It starts with a training duel between Leo and Kai, where you see that both young men kick major ass. Trakeena’s battle with Leo is brutal, showing off how much she’s learned under Villamax, and she gets to show it off again when she fights off her would-be assassins. Neither mercenary stood a chance. Also we got a full-on shirtless scene from Leo when he rips off his shirt for no apparent reason other than to show off his pecs before he morphs to fight Trakeena.
Not that I’m complaining, or anything.
This episode continues Trakeena’s development, moving her more and more down the path of evil. She tells Leo that when he destroyed her father, he created something much worse in the form of her, and it shows. She’s determined to carry out her revenge, but she doesn’t come off quite as single-minded in her focus as the Magna Defender was. She even keeps the Cocoon around, just in case she needs it in the future. And somehow, she even managed to put Hell right underneath the torture chamber of the Scorpion Stinger. That’s impressive Evil Overlord-ing!
Villamax also gets an important piece of development, when he honors his word to free the other Rangers after Leo gives himself up. Deviot is, naturally, horrified by this and thinks it’s stupid, but Villamax is determined to follow his code of conduct. He may be evil, but he’s not going to compromise his integrity; in this way, you see almost a parallel to Leo, who has never violated his principles to protect the innocent. Villamax comes off as a little naive in response to the obviously treacherous Deviot, but as the audience, we’ve got the benefit of seeing what Deviot’s really up to, and ‘Max only showed up last episode. He’s still truly dedicated to Trakeena, offering Deviot a dagger as a token of respect and thanks for apparently saving her life. He also tells Deviot to stop torturing Leo because Trakeena wants to be the one to kill him, though Deviot argues for the pragmatic approach—kill Leo so he doesn’t escape and get his morpher and Saber. And I’ve got to say, despite being short, the torture scene was pretty cold for Power Rangers. Yeah, Astronema was kind of zap-happy a season before, but Deviot was just prolonging Leo’s pain and suffering. It is really good for Leo that Villamax wanted to be sure that Trakeena got first dibs on his corpse, if only because it looked like her plan involved less time to suffer.
This episode also continues the theme of sacrifice for this season. Before, I focused heavily on the theme of revenge, simply because it was more obvious; but the more I watch, the more I’m seeing this cycle of sacrifice as well. Mike sacrificed himself so that Leo could save the Red Quasar Saber, and Magna Defender sacrificed himself to save Terra Venture and release Mike (also offering, in a way, to Leo to sacrifice himself so Mike would be freed). Here, we see Leo tossing aside his Quasar Saber and morpher so his team would be spared, above their protests (it’s also an interesting role-reversal seeing Kai getting taken hostage with Leo having to do whatever he can to save him, after “Rookie in Red”). The scene is very similar to a later scene in “Facing the Past,” and of course, this theme will come to a head in “The Power of Pink,” though it’ll be far from over.
And finally, I need to say it: Figure out what you’re doing with the Stingwingers already! It’s a major point of Leo’s escape that the Stingwingers can fly. So then why are these guys so frickin’ useless? I swear, if the Stingwingers could actually remember they can fly, they’d be much more effective against the Rangers! Instead, they only seem to be able to fly whenever it conveniences the Rangers.
Memories of Mirinoi (Judd Lynn): Wow, so much lesbian subtext, so little time. I know I’ve been bad about this since I first started joke-shipping Gwen and Julie in Alien Force, but REALLY. Chandra reacts to Maya’s comment that Kendrix is her best friend like a horrified girlfriend until Maya clarifies that Kendrix is her best friend on the colony. Kendrix is all thrilled that she finally gets to meet Chandra, but when Maya and Chandra are out all night, skipping the big dinner Kendrix and Kai put together (really, guys, you have so much room for Kendrix/Kai), Kendy is so depressed it looks like she’s been dumped. Try and tell me that Maya wasn’t having an affair behind Kendrix’s back. Then we see Maya and Chandra sleeping on the floor right next to each other, with Chandra looking over at her as she gets out of bed, like she’s just successfully seduced James Bond. When Kendrix tells Maya her suspicions about Chandra, Maya just says Kendrix is jealous of their “friendship.” Then there’s the flashbacks of Maya and Chandra—as adults, mind you—running through the jungle, swinging on vines… Nope. Nothing subtexty about it.
And don’t get me started on the way Trakeena drew her finger over Chandra’s skin.
I will say that for all Chandra was a very obvious mole, she had a convincing alibi. It didn’t contradict anything that Maya knew happened—she hid during Furio’s attack, ran for her life (as did the Rangers) when everything was being turned to stone, and fell through a random wormhole. Maya could buy it because she’d fallen through a random wormhole during the attack too. And she knew everything about Maya’s past with the real Chandra, which begs the question of how she knew. Did they capture the real Chandra? Was Chandra a spy the entire time? Given that I don’t think we ever hear about Chandra again—even in “Journey’s End”—it’s a shame these questions weren’t answered.
Random thing that bothered me: The fact that nobody on Terra Venture thinks twice when they see a woman in skimpy leather clothing with no identification, just wandering around. I mean, yeah, they’ve had Maya around, but don’t you think that they’d at least have done something about her at first? Especially when she’s sharing Kendrix’s apartment in the official living quarters. They’ve obviously given Damon a commission of some kind, since he’s always fixing something, but Maya and Leo (and later Karone) just seem to walk around on the colony with no apparent jobs and never get any flack. And at least Leo tried to work with command, only to quit, and he’s Mike’s brother, so nobody bothers him. I guess it’s just a matter of so many people presumably coming from Angel Grove—if it’s weird, they don’t worry about it.
Random thing I liked: the wrist-mounted flashlights for night security, which makes it easy to shoot and see straight. Hell, the fact that they even have nighttime security at all! They’re actually making an effort to see to it their supplies and artifacts aren’t tampered with, nor are their controls. We also get to see the Stratoforce Megazord and the Centaurus Megazord in action for the first time since they turned good, and Stratoforce kicks some major ass. It’s a really damn fast Megazord.
Now, if someone could just explain to me if Maya just keeps a rope around all the time in case she needs to repel off the side of the Command Tower or if they keep one there for emergencies after the events of “Homesick,” then I think I’ll be good.
Green Courage (Jill Donnellan): This opens up with us watching a planet be destroyed by a meter field. When we see the reports that High Councilor Renier is holding, we see that this field is somewhere in the constellation of Kasterborus. Yes, TV Tropes noticed it first, but it’s funny as hell when you see that Power Rangers predicted the destruction of Gallifrey six years before Doctor Who came back. Fortunately for the Americans in the audience, Doctor Who is not the only sci-fi show referenced. When Damon sees the hearts beating in the engine of the Scorpion Stinger, he quips, “I’m a mechanic, not a doctor!” Damnit, Jim!
This episode in some ways tries to avert the theme of “Never leave a man behind.” Commander Stanton—the guy who originated the phrase—is hesitant to risk anyone else to rescue Renier, despite Brody’s insistence. Damon insists on going, but not for that specific reason. He’s trying to redeem himself, since he’s beating himself up for losing Renier in the first place, when he failed to protect her in battle. It’s played straight, though, when Renier insists that she and Leo can’t leave Damon behind to fight Cannonbrawl, and she epically trips the monster with a thrown case of something, allowing Damon to escape.
And as a nice touch, when Maya told Leo to try and talk sense into Damon, Leo admitted that he’d do the same thing and blame himself—just as he had back in “Destined for Greatness.” I loved seeing the team dynamic there, how Leo stowed away on the heliship, surprising Damon and making him joke, “Once a stowaway, always a stowaway.” Leo’s not going to leave one of his teammates in trouble, and Mike says that it doesn’t hurt to have backup. As seen in “The Rescue Mission,” Mike trusts Leo completely now (in addition to promising never to leave him again, as he said in “Redemption Day”), adding a third layer there. Leo sympathizes with Damon, he’s the leader of the team, and he’s the one person that they trust to watch their back.
Another nice touch was how Villamax wasn’t present when Deviot and Trakeena went back on their deal to release Renier and Damon if Damon cooperated. Being the honorable guy he is, that would not sit well with him, no matter what he feels for Trakeena.
The battle with Cannonbrawl is pretty epic when Damon takes him on alone, despite how short it is. Cannonbrawl is kicking the asses of Mike, Kai, Maya, and Kendrix, and Damon starts beating him effortlessly. Leo even tosses him his Quasar Saber so he can use a dual-wield attack, but that part’s really too short to enjoy. Too bad, because dual-wielding will never stop looking cool. But Damon does get to take the glory when he unleashes a single Power-Up Mode attack when they activate the Lights of Orion.
Now for something that I will come back to later, after Karone joins. Renier gives Damon and Leo the Medal of Valor or something (I’d assume, based on the giant V) for their courage in going against orders to rescue her, and especially in Damon’s case, thinking nothing of his own safety, as long as he saved her. This is totally deserved for both of them, as is the high five Renier finally gives him, after he had that dorky moment in the ship where he realized, “Wait a second, am I trying to high five the High Councilor?” This is something they do everyday, but this time, they had the chance to be recognized for it. They did the right thing, unlike Scott in RPM’s Heroes Among Us, where he knew he had done wrong in abandoning his post, even if it did result in him rescuing those refugees, and he turned down the Medal of Valor as he should have. Damon wasn’t abandoning his post; he was volunteering to sacrifice himself (part of that dueling theme with not abandoning anyone) so he could ensure he got the job done right this time, even though there was nothing he personally could have done to stop Cannonbrawl. I will revisit this comparison in “Turn Up the Volume.”
Not that I’m complaining, or anything.
This episode continues Trakeena’s development, moving her more and more down the path of evil. She tells Leo that when he destroyed her father, he created something much worse in the form of her, and it shows. She’s determined to carry out her revenge, but she doesn’t come off quite as single-minded in her focus as the Magna Defender was. She even keeps the Cocoon around, just in case she needs it in the future. And somehow, she even managed to put Hell right underneath the torture chamber of the Scorpion Stinger. That’s impressive Evil Overlord-ing!
Villamax also gets an important piece of development, when he honors his word to free the other Rangers after Leo gives himself up. Deviot is, naturally, horrified by this and thinks it’s stupid, but Villamax is determined to follow his code of conduct. He may be evil, but he’s not going to compromise his integrity; in this way, you see almost a parallel to Leo, who has never violated his principles to protect the innocent. Villamax comes off as a little naive in response to the obviously treacherous Deviot, but as the audience, we’ve got the benefit of seeing what Deviot’s really up to, and ‘Max only showed up last episode. He’s still truly dedicated to Trakeena, offering Deviot a dagger as a token of respect and thanks for apparently saving her life. He also tells Deviot to stop torturing Leo because Trakeena wants to be the one to kill him, though Deviot argues for the pragmatic approach—kill Leo so he doesn’t escape and get his morpher and Saber. And I’ve got to say, despite being short, the torture scene was pretty cold for Power Rangers. Yeah, Astronema was kind of zap-happy a season before, but Deviot was just prolonging Leo’s pain and suffering. It is really good for Leo that Villamax wanted to be sure that Trakeena got first dibs on his corpse, if only because it looked like her plan involved less time to suffer.
This episode also continues the theme of sacrifice for this season. Before, I focused heavily on the theme of revenge, simply because it was more obvious; but the more I watch, the more I’m seeing this cycle of sacrifice as well. Mike sacrificed himself so that Leo could save the Red Quasar Saber, and Magna Defender sacrificed himself to save Terra Venture and release Mike (also offering, in a way, to Leo to sacrifice himself so Mike would be freed). Here, we see Leo tossing aside his Quasar Saber and morpher so his team would be spared, above their protests (it’s also an interesting role-reversal seeing Kai getting taken hostage with Leo having to do whatever he can to save him, after “Rookie in Red”). The scene is very similar to a later scene in “Facing the Past,” and of course, this theme will come to a head in “The Power of Pink,” though it’ll be far from over.
And finally, I need to say it: Figure out what you’re doing with the Stingwingers already! It’s a major point of Leo’s escape that the Stingwingers can fly. So then why are these guys so frickin’ useless? I swear, if the Stingwingers could actually remember they can fly, they’d be much more effective against the Rangers! Instead, they only seem to be able to fly whenever it conveniences the Rangers.
Memories of Mirinoi (Judd Lynn): Wow, so much lesbian subtext, so little time. I know I’ve been bad about this since I first started joke-shipping Gwen and Julie in Alien Force, but REALLY. Chandra reacts to Maya’s comment that Kendrix is her best friend like a horrified girlfriend until Maya clarifies that Kendrix is her best friend on the colony. Kendrix is all thrilled that she finally gets to meet Chandra, but when Maya and Chandra are out all night, skipping the big dinner Kendrix and Kai put together (really, guys, you have so much room for Kendrix/Kai), Kendy is so depressed it looks like she’s been dumped. Try and tell me that Maya wasn’t having an affair behind Kendrix’s back. Then we see Maya and Chandra sleeping on the floor right next to each other, with Chandra looking over at her as she gets out of bed, like she’s just successfully seduced James Bond. When Kendrix tells Maya her suspicions about Chandra, Maya just says Kendrix is jealous of their “friendship.” Then there’s the flashbacks of Maya and Chandra—as adults, mind you—running through the jungle, swinging on vines… Nope. Nothing subtexty about it.
And don’t get me started on the way Trakeena drew her finger over Chandra’s skin.
I will say that for all Chandra was a very obvious mole, she had a convincing alibi. It didn’t contradict anything that Maya knew happened—she hid during Furio’s attack, ran for her life (as did the Rangers) when everything was being turned to stone, and fell through a random wormhole. Maya could buy it because she’d fallen through a random wormhole during the attack too. And she knew everything about Maya’s past with the real Chandra, which begs the question of how she knew. Did they capture the real Chandra? Was Chandra a spy the entire time? Given that I don’t think we ever hear about Chandra again—even in “Journey’s End”—it’s a shame these questions weren’t answered.
Random thing that bothered me: The fact that nobody on Terra Venture thinks twice when they see a woman in skimpy leather clothing with no identification, just wandering around. I mean, yeah, they’ve had Maya around, but don’t you think that they’d at least have done something about her at first? Especially when she’s sharing Kendrix’s apartment in the official living quarters. They’ve obviously given Damon a commission of some kind, since he’s always fixing something, but Maya and Leo (and later Karone) just seem to walk around on the colony with no apparent jobs and never get any flack. And at least Leo tried to work with command, only to quit, and he’s Mike’s brother, so nobody bothers him. I guess it’s just a matter of so many people presumably coming from Angel Grove—if it’s weird, they don’t worry about it.
Random thing I liked: the wrist-mounted flashlights for night security, which makes it easy to shoot and see straight. Hell, the fact that they even have nighttime security at all! They’re actually making an effort to see to it their supplies and artifacts aren’t tampered with, nor are their controls. We also get to see the Stratoforce Megazord and the Centaurus Megazord in action for the first time since they turned good, and Stratoforce kicks some major ass. It’s a really damn fast Megazord.
Now, if someone could just explain to me if Maya just keeps a rope around all the time in case she needs to repel off the side of the Command Tower or if they keep one there for emergencies after the events of “Homesick,” then I think I’ll be good.
Green Courage (Jill Donnellan): This opens up with us watching a planet be destroyed by a meter field. When we see the reports that High Councilor Renier is holding, we see that this field is somewhere in the constellation of Kasterborus. Yes, TV Tropes noticed it first, but it’s funny as hell when you see that Power Rangers predicted the destruction of Gallifrey six years before Doctor Who came back. Fortunately for the Americans in the audience, Doctor Who is not the only sci-fi show referenced. When Damon sees the hearts beating in the engine of the Scorpion Stinger, he quips, “I’m a mechanic, not a doctor!” Damnit, Jim!
This episode in some ways tries to avert the theme of “Never leave a man behind.” Commander Stanton—the guy who originated the phrase—is hesitant to risk anyone else to rescue Renier, despite Brody’s insistence. Damon insists on going, but not for that specific reason. He’s trying to redeem himself, since he’s beating himself up for losing Renier in the first place, when he failed to protect her in battle. It’s played straight, though, when Renier insists that she and Leo can’t leave Damon behind to fight Cannonbrawl, and she epically trips the monster with a thrown case of something, allowing Damon to escape.
And as a nice touch, when Maya told Leo to try and talk sense into Damon, Leo admitted that he’d do the same thing and blame himself—just as he had back in “Destined for Greatness.” I loved seeing the team dynamic there, how Leo stowed away on the heliship, surprising Damon and making him joke, “Once a stowaway, always a stowaway.” Leo’s not going to leave one of his teammates in trouble, and Mike says that it doesn’t hurt to have backup. As seen in “The Rescue Mission,” Mike trusts Leo completely now (in addition to promising never to leave him again, as he said in “Redemption Day”), adding a third layer there. Leo sympathizes with Damon, he’s the leader of the team, and he’s the one person that they trust to watch their back.
Another nice touch was how Villamax wasn’t present when Deviot and Trakeena went back on their deal to release Renier and Damon if Damon cooperated. Being the honorable guy he is, that would not sit well with him, no matter what he feels for Trakeena.
The battle with Cannonbrawl is pretty epic when Damon takes him on alone, despite how short it is. Cannonbrawl is kicking the asses of Mike, Kai, Maya, and Kendrix, and Damon starts beating him effortlessly. Leo even tosses him his Quasar Saber so he can use a dual-wield attack, but that part’s really too short to enjoy. Too bad, because dual-wielding will never stop looking cool. But Damon does get to take the glory when he unleashes a single Power-Up Mode attack when they activate the Lights of Orion.
Now for something that I will come back to later, after Karone joins. Renier gives Damon and Leo the Medal of Valor or something (I’d assume, based on the giant V) for their courage in going against orders to rescue her, and especially in Damon’s case, thinking nothing of his own safety, as long as he saved her. This is totally deserved for both of them, as is the high five Renier finally gives him, after he had that dorky moment in the ship where he realized, “Wait a second, am I trying to high five the High Councilor?” This is something they do everyday, but this time, they had the chance to be recognized for it. They did the right thing, unlike Scott in RPM’s Heroes Among Us, where he knew he had done wrong in abandoning his post, even if it did result in him rescuing those refugees, and he turned down the Medal of Valor as he should have. Damon wasn’t abandoning his post; he was volunteering to sacrifice himself (part of that dueling theme with not abandoning anyone) so he could ensure he got the job done right this time, even though there was nothing he personally could have done to stop Cannonbrawl. I will revisit this comparison in “Turn Up the Volume.”