Season 7, Episode 27: Loyax's Last Battle

"Loyax's Last Battle"
Episode 27
Air Date: November 1st, 1999

Wait, you mean Maya isn't a complete airhead/b!tch??? O_O *Gasp*  Ok, I know I've been giving Maya a hard time during this season but it's just because when it comes to the characters, like I said, she is the least defined.  She's psychic, senses things and doesn't know stuff about Earthly customs!  That's her character! They started off great with her in the premiere but sooner than later they jut dropped the ball with her.  "Memories of Mirinoi" was such a missed opportunity where the writers once again could have explored her lamenting the loss of her planet but it was a rather half assed plot in its execution and once again didn't make Maya look good in the least! "Loyax's Last Battle" redeems her character a bit but only because in one episode, Loyax is a FARRRRR more interesting character than Maya will ever be! Sorry!  He's this old but legendary warrior who is pretty much at the end of his career and is setting out to prove himself in one final battle.  Thanks to Villamax, Trakeena gives him a shot to destroy the rangers.  After some random misogyny from Damon about Maya being a girl (I guess we can add that to his personality too!? -_-), Alpha contacts the rangers about Loyax in the ocean dome....they can fit a WHOLE OCEAN on a space colony??? OK??? O_o

As the rangers arrive, they begin their fight with Loyax but he isn't eager to fight Maya, once again, pointing out the fact that she's a girl and couldn't possibly be a decent fighter.  As he rather fight Leo, Maya stops him and tosses them over a cliff into the sea.  As the rangers look for Maya, Deviot reports to Trakeena that Loyax might have been destroyed in battle.  She orders them to find him while Maya and Loyax recover in a cave.  I love how she says HE knocked them over a cliff when it was clearly HER!!! Mirinoi must be a pleasant planet full of the nicest people! -_- Anyway, with Maya's leg hurt and Loyax too old to see in the dark, they must work together to find themselves out of the cave.  They do so but once out, Loyax wants to challenge Maya to one final fight despite being a girl.  Maya refuses but Loyax tells him he must have a honorable last fight with a Power Ranger to redeem himself.  Deviot and a squad of Sting Wingers arrive to stop them as the rangers hear the sound of the battle.  When Deviot is about to destroy Loyax, Maya saves him as they escape.  Deviot splits his forces to find them, just as the rangers arrive to stop him.  As they fight, a hiding Maya and Loyax continue their war of words as Maya tells him they don't have to fight but Loyax tells him of when he was a young warrior like her, he use to fight for good but ultimately saw how futile the ongoing battle against good was and switched sides.  Maya thinks he can be good again but Loyax believes he's far too old to change.  This is all great writing by the way and I love this scene between them.

As the rangers continue to fight, Loyax finally threatens Maya into finally fighting him as she morphs and draws her sword.  It's a great battle between the two of them as Maya really shows how good of a fighter she is to Loyax's impressed words.  As Deviot finishes off his fight with the rangers, he heads off to find Loyax just as Maya delivers a devastating blow to Loyax.  He tells her to finish him but she won't as she believes there's still a chance for him to be good again. As Maya gives him her hand, Loyax is shot in the back as he reaches for it.  Deviot has some how poisoned him with some kind of dart as he takes control of him and Loyax grows.  As the rangers reunite, Maya calls on the Galactabeasts for help as they form the Galaxy Megazord.  With Loyax under Deviot's control, they try their best to restrain him but he's too powerful for them.  Maya calls on the Centaurus Megazord for help but Loyax is still too strong for both zords combined.  The ranges manage to destroy the controller on Loyax's wrist which frees him from Deviot's control but Deviot just sets his control to self destruct as Loyax begins to explode.  Loyax delivers some touching final words to Maya for helping him see the good in him again before he fails over and is destroyed.  The ending of the episode both heartfelt and beautiful visual as Maya delivers her own final words in Loyax's honor; leaving his sword in the sands of beach which eerily look like a gravestone.  All and All, this was a wonderful episode for both Maya and especially Loyax who proved to be such a worthy and heartwarming character. Still one of my favorites from this season!

Final Morph: A+