Season 11, Episode 16: The Samurai's Journey, Part 1

"The Samurai's Journey, Part 1"
Episode 16
Air Date: May 24th, 2003

You know, while Ninja Storm has been a total lost as a whole, if there is something that has been missing from the previous 15 episodes, is a sense of actual jeopardy that would the season in a more dramatic way.  Don't get me wrong, the introduction of the Thunder Rangers and the "Return of Thunder" arc were awesome, outside of couple of noticeable minor plot holes and nagging flaws, like Blake and Hunter's tawdry resolution at the very end of "Thunder Strangers, Part 3".  It just feels in a season that has had amazing characterization so far in terms of our young heroes, there hasn't been much depth and intensity of the story like previous seasons...sigh...especially with these set of villains that seem to be here more for slapstick than an actual threat! -_-  But here we have a beginning of a three part story arc that finally seems to be unraveling the nicely planted seeds of emotion and moral dilemma that has been looming so far this season.  Finally, Cam is put back right in the fore front of the season's story arc and I couldn't be happier.  Like I said so far about his character and touched upon in "Nowhere To Grow", Cam is so deeply complex in the way that Billy was in Zeo.  Someone not only immensely skilled as a technician on the team but as a badass combatant with LOTS of potential as we see at the beginning of the episode as even our 5 rangers so far can't even brake stone in half like he can.  It's both an awesome and heartbreaking remainder of Cam's initial frustration over the chosen Wind Rangers as well as the newly arrived Thunder Rangers as he's been capable of fighting alongside them even before they accepted their destiny.  In a great back and forth scene, we see Tori be the ground one again and confront an upset Cam; reminding him of how his intelligence and technology is the reason the rangers have made it this far while the 4 rangers back at Ninja Ops hear from Cam's father why he wasn't ever considered to be a ranger in the first place.  I just loved hearing from both father and son, once again, talk about the reasons how the life of a ranger is important to Cam but his father in particular choosing to look after his son out of harms way like Cam's mother wanted.  It's all really well done and acted as we see the ranger team being the voice of reason for both Watanabe men.  Nice! :)

Meanwhile, Lothor manages to get a monster of week that doesn't actually suck in the form of Madtropolis, who can disguise himself as anyone as the villains come up with a good plan for once by trying to steal the rangers' powers.  It actually works as while Cam stays behind to help the five, the nieces send Madtropolis after them and succeeds in stealing their powers while the Kelzacks hold off Cam. After they retreat, Cam takes the rangers back to Ninja Ops and tells them their morphing powers have been completely drained.  I like how pale and powerless the rangers look so good on the make up team for that.  As Cam and Sensei trackdown Madtropolis, Cam is able to give the rangers a temporary power boost until they can get their morphing energies back.  As Madtropolis gloats about defeating the rangers, the five confront him after stealing back the sphere that holds their powers.  What begins in an awesome sequence of the rangers trying to escape and battle Madtropolis, who's powers of fading in and out of reality make it hard for them to fight him.  He then sends them to an alternate dimension where the rangers begin fighting themselves; thinking they are fighting Madtropolis initially. It's really cool turn of events and I like for once how the Sensei's Ninja babble comes in handy as Shane uses his ninja intuition to figure out which Madtropolis is real and get the rangers out of the dimension.  After collectively defeating Madtopolis, Lothor, of course, makes him grow and the rangers must continue to face him.  Also, the rangers have no idea how to open the sphere! Damn! O_o  So they must continue the fight with their very limited powers that is already leaving them; despite Cam telling them they can't.  It's nice to see the desperation of the situation here and the rangers ultimately choosing to risk their own lives to stop Madtropolis as Cam teleports the sphere back to Ninja Ops; thanks to his new teleportation installment.

As the zords arrive and the rangers form their respective megazords, they have a tough time battling Madtropolis...until Cam sends them a new sphere in the form of....a scarf! O_o  The hell! Shane's hilarious shock and reaction warranted! LOL The thing actually works really well....but unfortunately Madtropolis is STILL able to defeat them as the rangers' temporary power boost wears off and they are knocked out of their megazords.  As the helpless rangers demorph and Madtropolis prepares to finish them off to Lothor and his crew's hilarious scene chewing glee, Cam and Sensei Watanabe think fast as they both realize their own hope is using the Scroll of Time to go back in time to find an ancient power that can save the day.  While Super Ninja Guinea Pig is against it, Cam makes a very plausible reason to use it, especially with the rangers powerless and about to die and all. O_o  As Cam quickly opens the Scroll, time literally stands still until he comes back before the writing on the scroll erases...Okie Dokie, NO PRESSURE Sensei!!! -_- As Cam journeys into the past, he lands in front of the waterfall to the Secret Ninja Academy.  As he wonders if it worked, he is confront by a sinister looking ninja on a horse as the episode dramatically concludes.  So far, really well done and am so invested in this three parter immediately.  A truly superb start! :)

Final Morph: A+