Power Rangers Time Force Overview
Power Rangers Time Force: Season 9
Episode Count: 40
Air Date: February 3rd, 2001-November 17th, 2001
As you know, I wasn't too happy with the final results of last season. "Lightspeed Rescue" had some wonderfully original ideas and cool concepts but in ultimately resulted in a season less than good but better than mediocrity. Yet, here comes "Time Force"! A season ripped with inventive concepts on fate and destiny vs. free will and choice. The writers really made up for a rather lackluster season prior as the series opened up with possibly the best two part premiere for the franchise. "Force From the Future", Part 1 introduced us to the new timeline and the incredible stakes this new team of rangers would have to endure while the amazing Part 2 begins the fish out of water aspect of the season as the 4 Time Force Officers must navigate their way in a new century they are not accustomed to and recruit an unlikely ally that reminds their leader of the personal struggles she must face in order to get the job done. The structure and time frame (dammit!) of the season was so well laid out as the characters never seemed so well defined right off the bat, the themes being so wonderful hinted upon and the villains....my goodness....what do I begin with this most brilliant band of baddies since Season 6's In Space!!!?? :)
I think for that reason, I will critique the villains instead of the rangers first for this review! After just adapting the GoGo Five villains for "Lightspeed Rescue", we once again got an original villain in Ransik and he is right there in the Top 5 of best villains of the franchise! Ransik's backstory alone is tragic but with shades of flaws in his own character. Ransik was the first of his kind, shunned for being different which led to his hatred and need to rule all humans in the future as well as the past. While many call him a sympathetic villain, Ransik was rather selfish in his motives and overall agenda. It was never about wanting make lives better for mutants and demanding respect; it was all about revenge for the ways humanity initially treated him for his looks. It because of that, Ransik's motivations were always self involved, cruel and petty; ruling for the sake of ruling to prove he was superior for being tried inferior. Not to mention, the guy was just a badass in every possible way!!! As a leader, he was tough and ruthless but as a fighter??? Goodness, the guy owned the rangers in literally EVERY single confrontation he had with them. From nearly killing Alex in the premiere to beating the crap out of each ranger with ease in the finale, Ransik truly was a force not to messed with and it just goes to show how immensely powerful he was as it was him giving himself up that led to the rangers winning; NOT them beating him in battle. WOW!!! O_O Not to mention, veteran actor Vernon Wells was brilliantly campy and outstandingly serious when Ransik needed to be; giving one of the best main villain performances of the franchise as well. God, I love him!!! :) Never leave us VW!!! ;)
On to Nadira, who yes, I found very annoying but instead of that being because the actress was weak or bad, it was simply because that was Nadira's personality. Clearly a hell of a fighter but very obnoxious, spoiled, materialistic, vapid, vain, you see where I'm going with this. She was more into petty theft as she usually used the Cyclobots to steal cash, jewelry, clothes, etc. but when it came to facing the rangers she was more than a match for them. She seemed very dense and dumb but the times she came up with her own plans weren't that bad. In "Short Circuited", she managed to play on Trip's naive personality and kindness to steal Circuit and use a mutant to make him useless to the rangers. If anything, Nadira was a reminder of how much humanity Ransik had within him despite being a mutant. He cares for her tremendously; willing to even put aside his hatred for ONE RANGER to make Nadira happy ("Nadira's Dream Date") In the end, Nadira was an awesome symbol of Ransik's understanding and realization of the monster he had become as when he almost killed her, she knew she had to get through to him one last time. While I would have liked to have seen more building up to Nadira's conversion instead of it being introduced in the finale, what we got in that short amount of time was actually great and very well acted by Kate Sheldon who showed she can pull off empathy and compassion just as convincing as shrieking and annoying; especially during her last scenes with Frax.
Oh Frax....God, I LOVE Frax probably even MORE than I love Ransik!!! Honestly, with ALL the love Ransik gets as a villain, Frax should get as much or even MORE!!! Now HIS backstory is tragic and devastating, full of pain, regret and of course, hatred at what Ransik forced him to do. It was him as Dr. Fericks who saw the good in Ransik and tried to help him when Ransik turned his back on him by nearly killing him. It's because of that, he turned himself into a vengeful robot and became a servant for Ransik; only to double cross him in the end for the horrible crime he committed against him. The writers did such a great job layering Frax's working behind to scenes to overthrow Ransik like when he discovered the X-Vault and begn releasing the most deadliest mutants onto Silver Hills on his own. It's just a shame though what happened to Frax himself in the end. It was because of Nadira's apologize for her father's evil that made Frax realize there was a chance to stop all the madness that they had caused. But....he was mind whipped and turned into a mindless robot who died not knowing what it felt like to be human again....or maybe he did, given his intense reaction to Nadira's compassion and genuinely wanting forgiveness.....seriously, the moral ambiguity is truly tremendous here for that reason. Also, Frax himself was freakin' scary at times; especially when he did that whole splitting face thing! Seriously, AHHHHHHH!!! O_O Honestly, the only useless and I mean truly forgettable villain this season was...sigh...Glutto! -_- Only there to pin at Nadira all season and freeze himself in the end.....that's literally it! Moving on.... God, even the Cyclobots (A HUGE step up from the Batlings last season) were WAAAAAYYY more productive and threatening that that overgrown blue toad! -_- Ehhhhh, is right Nadira!
Onto our heroes, as they were truly one of my favorite teams of rangers since In Space as well! Each character had something to gain and something to lose this season, whether in a one off episode like "Uniquely Trip" about Trip gaining acceptance among the rest of the rangers and the children he protects to the overall personal arcs of the three stand out rangers this season in Wes, Jen and Eric. Wes, our valiant Red Ranger, starts out not taking the ranger thing seriously; only using it as an escapism from his life of luxury and wealth which he finds dull apparently. He clearly has a good heart and is a good fighter but Wes is so caught up in doing something for himself and not his father that he doesn't see the bigger picture. It takes Jen is the fantastic premiere follow-up "Something to Fight For" to make Wes question what he is fighting for since everything has been handed to him since birth! Its what pushes Wes to look within himself and begin taking steps to follow his own path and not his father. Its him who helps his "fish out of water" fellow rangers to amalgamate themselves to the 21st Century and introduce them to life outside of their Time Force duties. Jen was the leader of the team and one of the first deconstructions of the Pink Ranger stereotype. She wasn't cute and defenseless, she was always tough and combat ready as she was a constantly reminded the team what they were fighting for; especially considering what happened to Alex in the hands of Ransik. Alex was the catalyst of Jen being strong and hard headed so the team would stay focused which often put her at odds with Wes because he was more easy going and help them relax between battles. Its because of Wes that Jen was able to open up to the other rangers more, lighten up a little and ultimately find love again. On to Eric, a single minded and stubborn 6th ranger who also had a tough life growing up. Eric always had something to prove and despite Wes' continued friendliness, he would rather do things on his own and prove his worth regardless of who stood in his way. It's why he joined the Silver Guardians, became the Quantum Ranger and was the perfect anti-protagonist to the other rangers. Eric was an @sshole, but he had a good heart underneath as we first saw in "Quantum Secrets" as well as learning in "Trip Takes A Stand", that he is only the way he is because he's lonely. I like as the season went on, Eric also lightened up and was will to join the other Time Force Rangers in a fight instead of feeling the need to take care of it himself or seeing them as a constant nuisance. In the end, Eric prove to be a good man with the ability to be vulnerable enough to not only accept Wes' help but trust him with his morpher.....BRAVO!!! :)
Onto our last 3 rangers in Katie, Trip and Lucas. Sigh...I'll start with Lucas, as he was the weakest ranger of the bunch, only because...like I said...Micheal Copon's acting was.....puzzling. It often lacked excitement or energy but I'm not talking to the levels of inhumanly bad as Jennifer Yen's performance as Vypra. Then again, Lucas was a vapid pretty boy more concerned about his looks, the ladies and what cars he could drive, so maybe the whole stoic cool man personality was what he was going for. Lucas probably got the least development this season but it was a lot more development than he needed. "A Blue Streak" was about him getting a license, "Bodyguard In Blue" was about him being vulnerable toward a little girl and loving someone other than himself and "The Last Race" was about his rivalry with Dash by ultimately leading him to a life of reform. So Lucas wasn't all self centered and conceited as when the mission called for him to be serious and heroic, he was often the first person to do so like in "Future Unknown". Which brings me to Katie! :) I LOVE Katie. Cute but physically strong, she was the first ranger to question their actions in the past and how it would effect their future in "Future Unknown". It showed her vulnerable side and need to go home to see her family but in the end, she realizes no matter what, the mission is more important and trust in her new family of rangers that they will make it back some day. Also in "Full Exposure", she shows she can be supportive and motivating toward someone willing to expose the rangers' identities. Don't quite under her love for musicals though but the contrast of her sweet, caring nature and superhuman strength made her into one of my favorite characters to watch this season! Go Katie! Lastly, our humble and lovable Trip! :) Trip was the heart and soul of the team without a doubt. Yes, he had flaws despite being a Ziberian (So I'm guessing he's an alien then?? O_o) as the writers explore with the seriously redundant "Uniquely Trip", Trip was also the most reliable rangers of the team. Not just cause of his innocent and trustworthy nature, he was a bit of a scientist, able to build new weapons (like the Eletrobooster) for the team and save Circuit multiple times after being damaged and his power to see into the future was also a very valuable asset to the team. Hmmmm...makes me wonder why they never used him to be more proactive in finding Ransik and the Cryo-Prison instead of waiting for him to attack???!! O_o Anyway, Trip was just a wonderfully defined sweetheart and nice friend to have! :)
Now onto the supporting characters like the excellent Edward Albert playing Mr. Collins aka Wes' father so brilliantly as he got his own share of character development this season. It's through Wes that Mr. Collins to not just be concern about money and profit but for the well being of Silver Hills and the people the rangers protect. It's really astonishing see Mr. Collins not even will to save innocent children in "A Parting of Ways" yet in the Dawn of Destiny arc, we see despite seemingly being disappointed in Wes, he truly is proud of his son for taking control of his destiny and being a ranger. Their moments throughout the end of the season are just beautifully acted and remind you of the immense growth both men have gone through. In the end, Mr. Collins prove to be a better man because of Wes' actions and him teaching him was is right. Awesome! Circuit, our resident Alpha of the season was great. Cute but not overly so; managing to prove to be a major asset to the rangers in their mission. He was able to call the zords at a moments notice when the rangers needed them as well as stop an explosion when a mutant is about to self destruct a building. While I prefer "Short Circuited" over the rather annoying plotting of "Circuit Unsure", Circuit was awesome and I really liked his voice acting as well as his adorable closeness with Trip. :) Alex was....sigh....a complete and utter douche which is weird considering his initial debut in the premiere was so heroic and badass. Sure him capturing Ransik was because of Ransik wanting to be caught but he still proved to be a very competent officer as well as determined to stop him at all cost. His death at the hands of Ransik was nothing short of heartbreaking and really set up the dark, mature tone of the season so incredibly well. But then he is secretly working with the rangers back in the future without their knowledge and becomes Captain Logan's superior out of no where??? O_o He comes to the past to take over as Red Ranger but seems to be fueled by jealousy of Jen's relationship with Wes (which is kind of creepy when you think about it! O_O) and doesn't answer ANYONE'S questions concerning the changes in the timeline. If Alex was more honest and open; maybe things would have been different but even in the finale he is still cold and distant towards Jen and the others, even it's subtle. I can't imagine what it must be like for your finacee to fall in love with your ancestor but Alex didn't make things any better by his emotions clearly getting in the way. But it was only to further Wes and Jen's relationship...sooo...oh well. Extra points for Jason Faunt playing both characters so well; especially during the same scene. Damn, not to mention, Alex was a glorified Deux Es Machina giver when I think about! O_o Always giving the rangers' new weapons from the future out of no were like Eric's Battlizer, Wes' Stratocycle, even the Time Shadow!
Speaking of zords, they were a MAJOR downgrade from Lightspeed's endless arsenal of impressive zords. The Time Force Megazord has not one, but TWO versions of it in Mode Blue (Yuck!) and Mode Red (Awesome! :) but never really had personality like the zords before it. The Time Shadow was badass though; especially combining with the primary megazord to form the Shadow Force Megazord. The Q-Rex was the best though (Just cause dinosaur zords are the staple of this show! ;) All and all, Time Force once again exceeded all my expectations of how grounded in adult themes mixed with the advancement of the franchise's style the show could be. From a character as small as Phillips the Butler making a difference in Wes' destiny to the gorgeous arcs; both personal and story, being some of the best ever written on this show, the end of the Saban Era will truly be remembered for the last time the franchise was ever this solid and superb. Well done in almost EVERY department! :)
Pros:
Best Episodes:
1. "Frax's Fury"-I simply adore and ALWAYS get chills from Frax's back story and his moment of revenge against Frax. Just so cold and heartless!!! :( Venomark was just creepy as all hell and kind of frightening. Loved seeing the rangers work together and Eric even needing saving as they work to defeat Venomark!
2. "Dawn of Destiny"/"Fight Against Fate"/"Destiny Defeated"-It doesn't get better than these impeccably written, acted and structured episodes that redefine what it means to be in charge of your own fate. Wes is put through the ringer with his father's life in jeopardy, Frax makes a big move to become top villain, Alex puts the rangers through hell to protect the city and even Eric contemplates his role in all this.
3. "The End of Time", Part 1-3-One of the top 3 best finale bar none. So much happens, so much build up and emotion as Frax becomes a mindless slave to Ransik and the rangers are pulled apart because of Wes wanting to save the day alone to also save their lives. So many touching and unforgettable moments of love, redefining destiny and redemption.
4. "Trip Takes A Stand"-Trip' determination to protect an innocent mutant like Notacon was just the sum of why he is such a wonderful person, not ranger. It's because of his actions Eric questions his own agenda against mutants and proves that the battle between mutants and humans isn't so black and white.
5. "Force From the Future", Part 1 and 2-I can't rave about this premiere enough!!! From the alluring look of the year 3000 to the final moments of the Time Force Rangers walking away from Wes, this season seemed so much stronger than ANYTHING that came before initially!
Worst Episodes:
1. "Uniquely Trip"-Sigh...suddenly, Trip is doubting himself...suddenly, he feels the need to impress his teammates and girls, etc. Oh god, this stunk and made absolutely made no sense! -_-
2. "Beware the Knight"-You know what else doesn't sense to me??? -_- Magical Knights feuding in Silver Hills for some reason! Gotta sell those toys and introduce that Red Ranger Battlizer some how right??? Oh Look, a dragon!!! Barf!!!
3. "The Legend of the Clock Tower"-Katie just stumbles onto a ghost and ends up in the past??? Boring plot about a Puritan man after a women he loves in the past and Katie teaching him how to stick up for himself??? Jesus, writers!!! O_o Snore....Zzzzzzz!!
4. "Reflections of Evil"-Like I said, this episode would have made more sense as a Lucas focus episode and exploring his character instead of random mission inside of mirrors that requires as much unused Sentai footage as possible. Blah! -_-
5. "Movie Madness", Part 1-At least Part 2 immensely improved this mediocre two parter, but Part 1 is still a struggle to watch; especially during Katie's childish musical sequence.....no bueno!!! -_-
"The 9th and final season of the Saban Entertainment Era of the franchise, "Time Force" delves into some of the series' strongest and most riveting subject matter as a team of future heroes journey to the past to befriend an unlikely hero on his own quest to determine his own future. The characters have never been more spot on in terms of complexity, internal struggle and motivations as each of them, even the sometimes dullness of Lucas' personality, really pull the season's overall narrative in tremendous fashion. Add in the phenomenal crew of villains led by the heart wrenching Frax and menacing Ransik as well as powerful moments of acting worthy of their own praise and you got one 40 episode home run of fantastic themes, explosive action and timeless wonder as it's average theme song presents. ;)
Final Season Verdict: A
As you know, I wasn't too happy with the final results of last season. "Lightspeed Rescue" had some wonderfully original ideas and cool concepts but in ultimately resulted in a season less than good but better than mediocrity. Yet, here comes "Time Force"! A season ripped with inventive concepts on fate and destiny vs. free will and choice. The writers really made up for a rather lackluster season prior as the series opened up with possibly the best two part premiere for the franchise. "Force From the Future", Part 1 introduced us to the new timeline and the incredible stakes this new team of rangers would have to endure while the amazing Part 2 begins the fish out of water aspect of the season as the 4 Time Force Officers must navigate their way in a new century they are not accustomed to and recruit an unlikely ally that reminds their leader of the personal struggles she must face in order to get the job done. The structure and time frame (dammit!) of the season was so well laid out as the characters never seemed so well defined right off the bat, the themes being so wonderful hinted upon and the villains....my goodness....what do I begin with this most brilliant band of baddies since Season 6's In Space!!!?? :)
I think for that reason, I will critique the villains instead of the rangers first for this review! After just adapting the GoGo Five villains for "Lightspeed Rescue", we once again got an original villain in Ransik and he is right there in the Top 5 of best villains of the franchise! Ransik's backstory alone is tragic but with shades of flaws in his own character. Ransik was the first of his kind, shunned for being different which led to his hatred and need to rule all humans in the future as well as the past. While many call him a sympathetic villain, Ransik was rather selfish in his motives and overall agenda. It was never about wanting make lives better for mutants and demanding respect; it was all about revenge for the ways humanity initially treated him for his looks. It because of that, Ransik's motivations were always self involved, cruel and petty; ruling for the sake of ruling to prove he was superior for being tried inferior. Not to mention, the guy was just a badass in every possible way!!! As a leader, he was tough and ruthless but as a fighter??? Goodness, the guy owned the rangers in literally EVERY single confrontation he had with them. From nearly killing Alex in the premiere to beating the crap out of each ranger with ease in the finale, Ransik truly was a force not to messed with and it just goes to show how immensely powerful he was as it was him giving himself up that led to the rangers winning; NOT them beating him in battle. WOW!!! O_O Not to mention, veteran actor Vernon Wells was brilliantly campy and outstandingly serious when Ransik needed to be; giving one of the best main villain performances of the franchise as well. God, I love him!!! :) Never leave us VW!!! ;)
On to Nadira, who yes, I found very annoying but instead of that being because the actress was weak or bad, it was simply because that was Nadira's personality. Clearly a hell of a fighter but very obnoxious, spoiled, materialistic, vapid, vain, you see where I'm going with this. She was more into petty theft as she usually used the Cyclobots to steal cash, jewelry, clothes, etc. but when it came to facing the rangers she was more than a match for them. She seemed very dense and dumb but the times she came up with her own plans weren't that bad. In "Short Circuited", she managed to play on Trip's naive personality and kindness to steal Circuit and use a mutant to make him useless to the rangers. If anything, Nadira was a reminder of how much humanity Ransik had within him despite being a mutant. He cares for her tremendously; willing to even put aside his hatred for ONE RANGER to make Nadira happy ("Nadira's Dream Date") In the end, Nadira was an awesome symbol of Ransik's understanding and realization of the monster he had become as when he almost killed her, she knew she had to get through to him one last time. While I would have liked to have seen more building up to Nadira's conversion instead of it being introduced in the finale, what we got in that short amount of time was actually great and very well acted by Kate Sheldon who showed she can pull off empathy and compassion just as convincing as shrieking and annoying; especially during her last scenes with Frax.
Oh Frax....God, I LOVE Frax probably even MORE than I love Ransik!!! Honestly, with ALL the love Ransik gets as a villain, Frax should get as much or even MORE!!! Now HIS backstory is tragic and devastating, full of pain, regret and of course, hatred at what Ransik forced him to do. It was him as Dr. Fericks who saw the good in Ransik and tried to help him when Ransik turned his back on him by nearly killing him. It's because of that, he turned himself into a vengeful robot and became a servant for Ransik; only to double cross him in the end for the horrible crime he committed against him. The writers did such a great job layering Frax's working behind to scenes to overthrow Ransik like when he discovered the X-Vault and begn releasing the most deadliest mutants onto Silver Hills on his own. It's just a shame though what happened to Frax himself in the end. It was because of Nadira's apologize for her father's evil that made Frax realize there was a chance to stop all the madness that they had caused. But....he was mind whipped and turned into a mindless robot who died not knowing what it felt like to be human again....or maybe he did, given his intense reaction to Nadira's compassion and genuinely wanting forgiveness.....seriously, the moral ambiguity is truly tremendous here for that reason. Also, Frax himself was freakin' scary at times; especially when he did that whole splitting face thing! Seriously, AHHHHHHH!!! O_O Honestly, the only useless and I mean truly forgettable villain this season was...sigh...Glutto! -_- Only there to pin at Nadira all season and freeze himself in the end.....that's literally it! Moving on.... God, even the Cyclobots (A HUGE step up from the Batlings last season) were WAAAAAYYY more productive and threatening that that overgrown blue toad! -_- Ehhhhh, is right Nadira!
Onto our heroes, as they were truly one of my favorite teams of rangers since In Space as well! Each character had something to gain and something to lose this season, whether in a one off episode like "Uniquely Trip" about Trip gaining acceptance among the rest of the rangers and the children he protects to the overall personal arcs of the three stand out rangers this season in Wes, Jen and Eric. Wes, our valiant Red Ranger, starts out not taking the ranger thing seriously; only using it as an escapism from his life of luxury and wealth which he finds dull apparently. He clearly has a good heart and is a good fighter but Wes is so caught up in doing something for himself and not his father that he doesn't see the bigger picture. It takes Jen is the fantastic premiere follow-up "Something to Fight For" to make Wes question what he is fighting for since everything has been handed to him since birth! Its what pushes Wes to look within himself and begin taking steps to follow his own path and not his father. Its him who helps his "fish out of water" fellow rangers to amalgamate themselves to the 21st Century and introduce them to life outside of their Time Force duties. Jen was the leader of the team and one of the first deconstructions of the Pink Ranger stereotype. She wasn't cute and defenseless, she was always tough and combat ready as she was a constantly reminded the team what they were fighting for; especially considering what happened to Alex in the hands of Ransik. Alex was the catalyst of Jen being strong and hard headed so the team would stay focused which often put her at odds with Wes because he was more easy going and help them relax between battles. Its because of Wes that Jen was able to open up to the other rangers more, lighten up a little and ultimately find love again. On to Eric, a single minded and stubborn 6th ranger who also had a tough life growing up. Eric always had something to prove and despite Wes' continued friendliness, he would rather do things on his own and prove his worth regardless of who stood in his way. It's why he joined the Silver Guardians, became the Quantum Ranger and was the perfect anti-protagonist to the other rangers. Eric was an @sshole, but he had a good heart underneath as we first saw in "Quantum Secrets" as well as learning in "Trip Takes A Stand", that he is only the way he is because he's lonely. I like as the season went on, Eric also lightened up and was will to join the other Time Force Rangers in a fight instead of feeling the need to take care of it himself or seeing them as a constant nuisance. In the end, Eric prove to be a good man with the ability to be vulnerable enough to not only accept Wes' help but trust him with his morpher.....BRAVO!!! :)
Onto our last 3 rangers in Katie, Trip and Lucas. Sigh...I'll start with Lucas, as he was the weakest ranger of the bunch, only because...like I said...Micheal Copon's acting was.....puzzling. It often lacked excitement or energy but I'm not talking to the levels of inhumanly bad as Jennifer Yen's performance as Vypra. Then again, Lucas was a vapid pretty boy more concerned about his looks, the ladies and what cars he could drive, so maybe the whole stoic cool man personality was what he was going for. Lucas probably got the least development this season but it was a lot more development than he needed. "A Blue Streak" was about him getting a license, "Bodyguard In Blue" was about him being vulnerable toward a little girl and loving someone other than himself and "The Last Race" was about his rivalry with Dash by ultimately leading him to a life of reform. So Lucas wasn't all self centered and conceited as when the mission called for him to be serious and heroic, he was often the first person to do so like in "Future Unknown". Which brings me to Katie! :) I LOVE Katie. Cute but physically strong, she was the first ranger to question their actions in the past and how it would effect their future in "Future Unknown". It showed her vulnerable side and need to go home to see her family but in the end, she realizes no matter what, the mission is more important and trust in her new family of rangers that they will make it back some day. Also in "Full Exposure", she shows she can be supportive and motivating toward someone willing to expose the rangers' identities. Don't quite under her love for musicals though but the contrast of her sweet, caring nature and superhuman strength made her into one of my favorite characters to watch this season! Go Katie! Lastly, our humble and lovable Trip! :) Trip was the heart and soul of the team without a doubt. Yes, he had flaws despite being a Ziberian (So I'm guessing he's an alien then?? O_o) as the writers explore with the seriously redundant "Uniquely Trip", Trip was also the most reliable rangers of the team. Not just cause of his innocent and trustworthy nature, he was a bit of a scientist, able to build new weapons (like the Eletrobooster) for the team and save Circuit multiple times after being damaged and his power to see into the future was also a very valuable asset to the team. Hmmmm...makes me wonder why they never used him to be more proactive in finding Ransik and the Cryo-Prison instead of waiting for him to attack???!! O_o Anyway, Trip was just a wonderfully defined sweetheart and nice friend to have! :)
Now onto the supporting characters like the excellent Edward Albert playing Mr. Collins aka Wes' father so brilliantly as he got his own share of character development this season. It's through Wes that Mr. Collins to not just be concern about money and profit but for the well being of Silver Hills and the people the rangers protect. It's really astonishing see Mr. Collins not even will to save innocent children in "A Parting of Ways" yet in the Dawn of Destiny arc, we see despite seemingly being disappointed in Wes, he truly is proud of his son for taking control of his destiny and being a ranger. Their moments throughout the end of the season are just beautifully acted and remind you of the immense growth both men have gone through. In the end, Mr. Collins prove to be a better man because of Wes' actions and him teaching him was is right. Awesome! Circuit, our resident Alpha of the season was great. Cute but not overly so; managing to prove to be a major asset to the rangers in their mission. He was able to call the zords at a moments notice when the rangers needed them as well as stop an explosion when a mutant is about to self destruct a building. While I prefer "Short Circuited" over the rather annoying plotting of "Circuit Unsure", Circuit was awesome and I really liked his voice acting as well as his adorable closeness with Trip. :) Alex was....sigh....a complete and utter douche which is weird considering his initial debut in the premiere was so heroic and badass. Sure him capturing Ransik was because of Ransik wanting to be caught but he still proved to be a very competent officer as well as determined to stop him at all cost. His death at the hands of Ransik was nothing short of heartbreaking and really set up the dark, mature tone of the season so incredibly well. But then he is secretly working with the rangers back in the future without their knowledge and becomes Captain Logan's superior out of no where??? O_o He comes to the past to take over as Red Ranger but seems to be fueled by jealousy of Jen's relationship with Wes (which is kind of creepy when you think about it! O_O) and doesn't answer ANYONE'S questions concerning the changes in the timeline. If Alex was more honest and open; maybe things would have been different but even in the finale he is still cold and distant towards Jen and the others, even it's subtle. I can't imagine what it must be like for your finacee to fall in love with your ancestor but Alex didn't make things any better by his emotions clearly getting in the way. But it was only to further Wes and Jen's relationship...sooo...oh well. Extra points for Jason Faunt playing both characters so well; especially during the same scene. Damn, not to mention, Alex was a glorified Deux Es Machina giver when I think about! O_o Always giving the rangers' new weapons from the future out of no were like Eric's Battlizer, Wes' Stratocycle, even the Time Shadow!
Speaking of zords, they were a MAJOR downgrade from Lightspeed's endless arsenal of impressive zords. The Time Force Megazord has not one, but TWO versions of it in Mode Blue (Yuck!) and Mode Red (Awesome! :) but never really had personality like the zords before it. The Time Shadow was badass though; especially combining with the primary megazord to form the Shadow Force Megazord. The Q-Rex was the best though (Just cause dinosaur zords are the staple of this show! ;) All and all, Time Force once again exceeded all my expectations of how grounded in adult themes mixed with the advancement of the franchise's style the show could be. From a character as small as Phillips the Butler making a difference in Wes' destiny to the gorgeous arcs; both personal and story, being some of the best ever written on this show, the end of the Saban Era will truly be remembered for the last time the franchise was ever this solid and superb. Well done in almost EVERY department! :)
Pros:
- A masterful season full of elaborately breathtaking themes from destiny vs. free, revenge, hatred and racism.
- Some of the best acting I've seen from ANY season.
- Some of the best arcs of ANY season; especially the three part "Dawn of Destiny" arc.
- A tremendous group of lethal, lovely and dark villains! :)
- A near flawless two part premiere with an equally sensational three part finale!!!
- Micheal Copon being the lackluster standout in an otherwise powerful season of acting!
- Gluto...-_-
- Some need fillers and episodes like "The Legend of the Clock tower" and "Uniquely Trip".
- Nadira's last minute change of heart...but not really....lol
- Not exploring the time travel theme more as it was probably my most disappointing aspect of the season. :(
Best Episodes:
1. "Frax's Fury"-I simply adore and ALWAYS get chills from Frax's back story and his moment of revenge against Frax. Just so cold and heartless!!! :( Venomark was just creepy as all hell and kind of frightening. Loved seeing the rangers work together and Eric even needing saving as they work to defeat Venomark!
2. "Dawn of Destiny"/"Fight Against Fate"/"Destiny Defeated"-It doesn't get better than these impeccably written, acted and structured episodes that redefine what it means to be in charge of your own fate. Wes is put through the ringer with his father's life in jeopardy, Frax makes a big move to become top villain, Alex puts the rangers through hell to protect the city and even Eric contemplates his role in all this.
3. "The End of Time", Part 1-3-One of the top 3 best finale bar none. So much happens, so much build up and emotion as Frax becomes a mindless slave to Ransik and the rangers are pulled apart because of Wes wanting to save the day alone to also save their lives. So many touching and unforgettable moments of love, redefining destiny and redemption.
4. "Trip Takes A Stand"-Trip' determination to protect an innocent mutant like Notacon was just the sum of why he is such a wonderful person, not ranger. It's because of his actions Eric questions his own agenda against mutants and proves that the battle between mutants and humans isn't so black and white.
5. "Force From the Future", Part 1 and 2-I can't rave about this premiere enough!!! From the alluring look of the year 3000 to the final moments of the Time Force Rangers walking away from Wes, this season seemed so much stronger than ANYTHING that came before initially!
Worst Episodes:
1. "Uniquely Trip"-Sigh...suddenly, Trip is doubting himself...suddenly, he feels the need to impress his teammates and girls, etc. Oh god, this stunk and made absolutely made no sense! -_-
2. "Beware the Knight"-You know what else doesn't sense to me??? -_- Magical Knights feuding in Silver Hills for some reason! Gotta sell those toys and introduce that Red Ranger Battlizer some how right??? Oh Look, a dragon!!! Barf!!!
3. "The Legend of the Clock Tower"-Katie just stumbles onto a ghost and ends up in the past??? Boring plot about a Puritan man after a women he loves in the past and Katie teaching him how to stick up for himself??? Jesus, writers!!! O_o Snore....Zzzzzzz!!
4. "Reflections of Evil"-Like I said, this episode would have made more sense as a Lucas focus episode and exploring his character instead of random mission inside of mirrors that requires as much unused Sentai footage as possible. Blah! -_-
5. "Movie Madness", Part 1-At least Part 2 immensely improved this mediocre two parter, but Part 1 is still a struggle to watch; especially during Katie's childish musical sequence.....no bueno!!! -_-
"The 9th and final season of the Saban Entertainment Era of the franchise, "Time Force" delves into some of the series' strongest and most riveting subject matter as a team of future heroes journey to the past to befriend an unlikely hero on his own quest to determine his own future. The characters have never been more spot on in terms of complexity, internal struggle and motivations as each of them, even the sometimes dullness of Lucas' personality, really pull the season's overall narrative in tremendous fashion. Add in the phenomenal crew of villains led by the heart wrenching Frax and menacing Ransik as well as powerful moments of acting worthy of their own praise and you got one 40 episode home run of fantastic themes, explosive action and timeless wonder as it's average theme song presents. ;)
Final Season Verdict: A
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