Season 11, Episode 37: Storm Before The Calm, Part 1

"Storm Before The Calm, Part 1"
Episode 37
Air Date: November 15th, 2003

Don't let that menacing picture of Lothor revealing his final plan all along fool you!  I have A LOT of questions regarding that Scroll of Destiny.  So it apparently before He and his future nephew faced off in the past, Lothor discovered scroll and used it all this time as it predicted everything that has happened and how he would go on to takeover the world in the end.....huh??? O_O So you're telling me Lothor has been one of the worst villains of the entire series because he knew he would win in the end and was just...what....clowning all season with his idiot nieces, who apparently have been in on this the whole time and are NOT working with Vexacus but only making him THINK they are....I just.... This all feels, once again, so last minute and convoluted to explain the utter insanity and tremendous lack of competence the villains have shown all season! "Oh, so they were just failing on purpose the whole time!!? Great! :)" No, NOT GREAT! -_- Why did Lothor even TRY to fight the rangers this season if in the end, he knew he would lose??? Why even bother???  Was he trying let them think they won everytime only to reveal he would ultimately win in the end???  No flashback or explanation that this was his entire plan all along??? Nope, we're just suppose to accept this out of no where plot contrivance is the basis of the rangers' final battle against Lothor and that all of this was apart of some brilliant mastermind type plan that has been building up all season! But.  It. Hasn't!!! Ehhhhh!!! -_-

So anyway, the rangers are planning to go to some US Action Games, since Kelly helped Dustin follow his dream of freestyle racing.  Since it's finale time, Blake is considering leaving Blue Bay Harbor for his own offer of following his dreams but of course, his ranger duties are on his mind and he's very hesitant despite his brother and other rangers encouraging him to go anyway.  Awwwww, I really about going to miss the very natural and effortless chemistry of this team of rangers! :) Anyway, after getting their Sensei's permission to go to the Action Games, all 6 rangers head there and begin to enjoy themselves.  Especially Hunter, who can't keep from talking to the hott girls who just love studs on the fast bikes! :P  But soon, Marah and Kapri arrive with some Kelzacks and force both Cam and Hunter to intercept them. They summon some Kelzack Furies as well (LOVE these guys by the way! :) to distract them while they check a nearby area for "The Abyss of Evil".  Yeah, apparently, this is what was foretold in the Scroll of Destiny and Lothor will use it to release all of the fallen monsters that are home there and take over the world.  Jesus, between this and Lightspeed's Shadow World, there are apparently a lot of afterlife dimensions for dead monsters! O_o Oh and there are some three random teens that come and help Cam and Hunter but the two tell them to leave and get to safety.  Yeah, this is a plot point but we don't know that yet. ;)

After the nieces and Kelzacks leave, Cam and the rest of the rangers investigate the area and what Lothor's nieces would want there when Cam's Samurai necklace freezes all of a sudden.  While he investigates the reason behind his power source cooling down significantly, Lothor sends out his nieces to make Vexacus grow to lure out the rangers and then snoop around the entrance to Ninja Ops to find their way inside.  After destroying a generator that makes the Samurai Star Zord teleport into battle, Cam sends out Cyber Cam to fix it but gets intercepted by Lothor and his nieces who take over his programming and making him lead them to Ninja Ops.  Meanwhile, Veaxcus is owning the rangers something fierce as even the combined forces of even the Thunderstorm Megazord and the Mammothzord are even strong enough to destroy him.  Jesus! O_o After both the Storm Megazord and Thunder Megazord are badly damaged, Blake and Hunter make one last attempt to destroy Vexacus on their own....but Vexacus holds on to the Thunder Megazord as he explodes; destroying the Thunder Megazord and seemingly Blake and Hunter as well. NOOOOOO!!! o_o After the Wind Rangers investigate the wreckage of the Thunder Megazord, they as well as Cam are unable to get in touch with the Thunder Rangers to make sure they're okay.  As Cam tells them to keep looking on their end while he keeps trying to contact...Lothor arrives with his nieces as they have Cyber Cam as their prison.

Gotta admit, it's always awesome seeing the main villains storming the rangers' homebase during these finales.  it just adds sooo much tension knowing that their base of operations which has been such a safe place for them all season is now under attack and they are helpless to stop their enemies.  Lothor of course can't help do the whole evil monologue thing before telling his nieces to begin destroying everything in sight before he and Cam enter a very impressive fight.  Mind you, Ninja Ops isn't exactly the most spacious homebase but the fight choreography is just top notch like it's been all season despite that and once again, Lothor's fighting skills are a marvel despite him being awful as a leader and completely dimwitted as a strategist,  Of course, Guinea Pig Sensei tries to save his son once Lothor captures him, but Lothor seemingly destroys him!  Wow! As the episode concludes, the Wind Rangers return to the remnants of Ninja Ops while Lothor prepares to use Cam's Samurai necklace for this next phase of his final plan.  To Be Continued.... So far, a very strong first half of the finale and while I'm not completely on-board with this "Scroll of Destiny" non-sense, we got some stellar fight scenes and finale-eqse destruction as well as mind blowing mayhem, so I'm sold...so far! On Part 2... :)

Final Morph: A-