Season 9, Episode 8: Jen's Revenge

"Jen's Revenge"
Episode 8
Air Date: March 24th, 2001

One again, we get another character centered episode and it's none other than Jen! Jen has been such a strong character so far this season.  Not just in her aggressive physical prowess as we see her train by herself early in the morning, but by her devastating drive to capture Ransik after virtually killing Alex in front of her.  It also can't help when you are living and working with someone like Wes, who looks exactly like her dead fiance! Yikes!!! But once again, this episode explores Jen's strengths as well as weaknesses as a character because her person mission to capture Ransik.  It doesn't help matters when Ransik decides to unleash Fat Catfish on the rangers.  Turns out, Jen and Alex captured him together and when he realizes Alex isn't there, he begins taunting Jen about Ransik killing him1 Jesus!!! Jen, of course, gets pissed and attacks Fat Catfish to the point she almost destroys him with her blaster, leaving the other rangers to stop her from killing a mutant.  This episode also brings up another theme of this season with morality and violence as the rangers reveal they don't kill the mutants and just capture them.  I mean we've been seeing them capture mutants so far this season but there's this clear expectation where the Time Force Rangers have a code as well as sense of morality not to kill the mutants under ANY circumstances.  It's really awesome, cool and morally ambiguous!!! :)

Another amazing development this episode is seeing Frax and some of his own personal motivations for working with Ransik.  A couple episodes ago, we saw Ransik mistreating one of the Cyclobots but here, when Fat Catfish carelessly destroys a couple of them, we see Frax is clearly angry toward the continued mistreatment of robots and mentally voices his opinion of robots some day getting the respect they deserve.  Like I said in my premiere reveiw, I LOVE Frax and even in this episode where he's manipulating Ransik, Fat Catfish and Jen, it still doesn't even scratch the surface of how brilliant he is as not only a villain but his backstory?....MAN....like I said before, more on him later! :)  But anyway, Fraw manages to get those three in the same building by making Jen think Fat Catfish wants to turn Ransik in by making both mutants meet in a warehouse where they believe the other wanted to meet them.  We get an awesome action sequence of Jen battling the Cyclobots and eventually Ransik, who of course, tosses her around like a rag doll.  As Fat Catfish escapes, Frax orders the Cyclobots to go after him while Ransik prepares to finish off Jen.  But before he can, his mutantion causes him to cry out and pain as the rangers finally find Jen as she passes out in Wes' arms.  I like how Ransik tries to stop them even when he's in excruciating pain! Such a badass!!! :)

The next morning, bruised and beaten up Jen wakes up to Wes holding her hand as he sleeps.  Jen then goes after Fat Catfish again as he confronts Frax about making him look like a traitor.  As the two battle, Wes wakes up to Jen missing...again and wakes up the other rangers to go after her...again! :)  As Jen pulls out her V-weapon on Fat Catfish, the other rangers arrive to talk her out of killing him.  It's a tense moment as Jen wants to for Alex and because of Ransik, but Wes finally gets to her by reminding her of what Alex would have wanted.  She finally backs down as Fat Catfish knocks her back.  The rangers combined forces, especially Jen doing some badassery to defeat him but soon he grows and the rangers need Circuit to call on the megazord.  I love how Wes gives Jen the honor to finish him off with the megazord saber.  As the rangers put Fat Catfish away, Wes and Jen have a very sweet moment that Katie and Trip mock, forcing Jen to chase after them; ending the episode.  Definitely one of the finest episodes of the season so far and that's great considering how strong this adaption of Timeranger has been so far.  The characters are being fleshed out nicely, the villains are either awesome or coming up with good plans and the action is almost supporting how well both of those are! Wonderful! :)

Final Morph: A+