Season 12, Episode 33: In Your Dreams

"In Your Dreams"
Episode 33
October 16th, 2004

 So here we have our obituary filler episode of the season which simply exists only because the writers would rather spend an entire half hour of one of these 38 episodes to use up as much Sentai footage from the corresponding Sentai season they are adapting to save precious money for episodes done the line.  I mean, they've been noticeably doing it since Lost Galaxy as episodes like Dream Battle were not only the most inconsequential episodes to their specific season but shorehorned some unnecessary footage that was just there to fill up time instead of actually matter in the long run. Here you have an episode plot that isn't really new: After suffering horrifying nightmares and not being able to slumber peacefully thanks to Anton Mercer, Mesagog gives Elsa an unlikely plan to destroy the rangers in their own nightmares considering myth has it, if someone dies in their dream, they die in real life......how A Nightmare on Elm Street writers! -_-  Anyway, Tommy happens upon the four teens at Hayley's Cyberspace late at night; studying for an exam when they all but Trent decide to go home and get some sleep.  Especially Connor, who has to do early Christmas shopping with his mom or something (just a random, throwaway line to set up Connor's weird nightmare with a Christmas themed monster....really! O_O)

So as the trio and Tommy sleep, Elsa activates an altered version of the Geo-Re animator to start the nightmares in their minds which leads to Tommy first, who fights some squid monster named...Squidrose, who with the aid of the other rangers is able to defeat him.  I love how Tommy's nightmare is inspired byt the calamari he had for dinner.  I have no words!!! O_O After Tommy wakes up from his dream successfully, Kira begins dreaming in a fight with the others as they face off against monster named Croco D'Vile (Hey, at least it being a dream makes more sense for such a horrible pun name??? O_o) who becomes infatuated with Kira to the point that he begins devoted all his attention to her during the fight and even...sings to her....sigh..... The dream ends with her as well as Connor and Ethan helping her to defeat him for good in their zords as usual but I'm so confused at this point.  So it seems that the other rangers in their nightmares are aware it's a dream and seem to be the actual dream versions of their friends instead of dreaming about them so....huh???  I don't get how this dream machine of Elsa's works for god sakes!! -_-  I mean in "Dream Battle", Hexuba's spell made the rangers' dreams interconnected, so it made sense, but here.....it's all so vague...like they are there but don't have any control to really help the person in their dream??? O_o  Idk...maybe that's what was going on but either way, moving on.

Next is Ethan, who dreams about a monkey monster named Rumble Monkey.  Apparently this monster is in relation to the poster near his bed??? O_o  Anyway, the rangers destroy him with the Z-Rex Blaster before he grows and they have to form the Thundersaurus Megazord. After defeating the monster, Ethan and Kira contact each other via their Dino Bracelets and ask if they both had strange nightmares.  When they realize it, Dr. Oliver contacts Kira and he mentions he did as well.  When Ethan tries to get in touch with Connor, he is far too dead into his dream to wake up as....ehhhhhh.... the rangers are in the middle of a battle with Rude Elf....yes....RUDE ELF!!! o_o Wow, those Wild Force monster names aren't looking so apthetic now!  Things aren't looking good as even with the arrival Tommy in his dream, all four rangers are losing their battle with the monster, especially Connor.  Soon Tommy gives Kira and Ethan the idea to give Connor some "help" as they use their dino gems to send him enough power in his dream to become the Triassic Ranger....which is probably the only part of the episode that was really exciting and made sense to me in the least.  So with the Triassic powers, Connor is able to battle and defeat the monster in his own Winter Wonderland inspired dimension before leading to a full on zord fight when he grows.  Connor, Kira, and Ethan summon the Mezodon Rover to form the Tricermax Megazord with the artillery zords and defeat Rude Elf for good.  The episode ends with Measgog's terrifyingly attacking Elsa while the rangers recap their rough night, only to see Trent got a good night sleep despite their own nightmares at Hayley's lol.  Overall, "In Your Dreams' reminds me of "Crystal of Nightmares" and "Dream Battle" interwined but lacking the courageous epiphany of that first season treasure.  It all amounts to nothing and doesn't further the plot along at all.  Pretty pointless and even more worthless really! O_O

Final Morph: D+