Friday Five: Rangers Reborn
Friday Five: We’re not people that regularly posts lists. We reserve those for Friday, when you’re ready to take your mind out and skim titles until you see something you’re interested in. Welcome to the Friday Five.
With Power Rangers Samurai just starting, it brings fans to what was unexpected of last year, the return of Power Rangers. As series that is now entering it’s 18th season, there has been many ups and downs along the way. These episodes listed here not only brought the show back from a dark period in the past, but also helped shaped the series from short fad to an ongoing 19 year saga.
#5. “Day of the Dino” – Power Rangers Dino Thunder
After Saban Entertainment shut down and was purchased by Disney, MMPR Productions ceased to exist and Village Roadshow started to take over moving all productions to New Zealand. This left the series with only a handful of people who worked on the series during the Saban era, and with that made Power Rangers Ninja Storm unsure where it stands in the series for the fans. It felt disconnected compared to the other series except for a mention about Triforia; until Doug Sloan called up fan favorite Jason David Frank to reprise his role of Tommy Oliver for Power Rangers Dino Thunder. Due to the fact that this series also dealt with dinosaurs, it was only natural to have the series go back to its roots, including having the Rangers be in high school again. In part 2 of this premiere episode, Mesogog even mentions Lothor, not only did this brought the Disney era series to the over arcing Power Rangers saga, it also confirmed that Blue Bay Harbor from Ninja Storm is located in California.
#4. “Looming Thunder” – Power Rangers Ninja Storm
The only episode in this list which does not come back from a break, this episode is actually the best example on defining this series. After MMPR Productions was gone, it was unsure how Disney would handle the series going forward. What was known was each episode was going to have action, but a moral lesson that drives the action similar to another Disney show at the time, The Famous Jett Jackson. Many worried we were going to get GI Joe lessons at the end of each episode or the show would end up getting an E/I rating as every show that aired on ABC Kids had at that time. The first 3 episodes, the morals completely took over the show making it more distracting than driving. This episode was about trust and also brought up what is actually on stake for the Rangers, bringing the forcibly candy cane happy tone to a more grounded darker one that was thought never to come back from what the Saban era started to bring towards the end of their run. Not only that, but since this was the first fully Disney owned series, this brought back promotions for Power Rangers which included Hallmark ornaments, Toys R Us giveaways, and brought the Rangers to Disney World.
#3. “Road to Corinth” – Power Rangers RPM
By Power Rangers Time Force, the series started to mimic their older brother series Super Sentai. There were still great differences, like removing death of Rangers for Power Rangers and taking away the cutesy ADD actions from Super Sentai, but there were still too many moments of déjà vu to fans that were able to watch both. Then came Power Rangers RPM, which was the first series in years to stand on its own and takes a much different approach from Engine Sentai Go-Onger. It was a huge surprise to see the goofy Sentai series become a very gritty show about the aftermath of a deadly apocalypse. With the declining ratings and the removal from the line up for the new Disney XD channel, it was unsure there would’ve been a 17th year for the Power Rangers. It’s unfortunate that Power Rangers RPM only aired on ABC Kids with almost 0 promotions; I think this hidden gem would’ve saved the then demise of the series and would’ve paved the way to create the future series if Disney held on.
#2. “Alien Rangers of Aquitar” – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (AKA Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers)
Now let’s go back 15 years ago, when internet was new and charging by the hour. The episode “Rangers in Reverse” aired with a cliffhanger, which has never happened in the series before, and then Fox Kids never gave so much as a hint of when the show would return or even acknowledge that this was the last new episode of the year (not counting the Christmas special). The movie already bombed in the theaters, and the phenomenon status of the series has passed. Goosebumps was already taking over as the #1 kids show for the channel, so it was just naturally thought the series has ran its coursed and Fox just silently pulled the plug. Finally, two weeks before the saga premiere we had our first glimpse assuring us that the series is returning with a brand new Ranger team. The 3rd season started to bring us more of an over arcing plot than just stand alone campy episodes that the series was more known for at the time, but the Alien Rangers saga just exemplify this concept for the first time. It’s still up for debate with the fan base if this 10 episode saga was a series or just the final episodes of the 3rd season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
#1. “Quaser Quest” –Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
It was a really close call between Lost Galaxy and the Alien Rangers saga, but Power Rangers Lost Galaxy started the formula which has caused the series to last as long as it has. Like before, internet is still new, and not as widespread as it is now, so when Power Rangers in Space ended it was thought the series has ended, and a high note on that. All of the sudden, Fox Kids started to tease us with Power Rangers Lost Galaxy at the beginning of 1999. It was unsure how the series would be with a new group of Rangers without the assistance of Zordon. Unlike the series that came before, Lost Galaxy didn’t require the knowledge of Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Turbo, or in Space. This was new, to have only have the Rangers in season and have their story end by the finale. Instead of cutting out all of the aspects of the 6 year arc that was grown accustomed to, the series weaned us into this aspect, by including familiar faces like Bulk and Alpha, and even bringing back the Astro Megaship from Power Rangers in Space. This has to be the best decision the series had, as it worked for over 20 years of Super Sentai at the time. If the average age of kids watching Power Rangers is 7 or 8, after 6 years, that would bring them outside the range of interest and would be harder to get new viewers in. Now we have it each series stands alone, with references from older series that isn’t required, but rewards the ongoing viewers.
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