Season 13, Episode 2: Beginnings, Part 2

"Beginnings, Part 2"
Episode 2
Air Date: February 5th, 2005

Can I just say it's amazing to have Ron Wasserman back to produce this season's theme song??!! :)  It's the first time he's been back since In Space and MAN, he has NOT lost it at all.  The theme is so uptempo and infectious, not to mention ridiculously catchy! I'm sure the kids at the time couldn't get enough of that opening!!! :)  Anyway, we left off our heroes being outnumbered by an army of Krybots as they begin to get their asses kicked.  Realizing they're no match for them in civilian form, the three decide to finally use their morphers and finally morph! The SPD morph sequence is actually really well done and epic at times.  Tho Skye doesn't think so as he finds out he is disappointing and frustratingly the Blue Ranger.  yeah buddy, you were wearing blue colors on your uniform and it didn't cross your mind you might be the blue ranger in the end??? O_o  I'm sure Krueger has planned this all along as we even see in a future scene where Skye tells Krueger there must have been a mistake, Krueger firmly brushes that off and says there were "no mistakes"! Ha, I love this mentor already! :)  As the three new rangers test out their new powers, Jack and Z decide to go back and help them after a change of heart by Jack, who shows he's already more than some street thief and leading Z to aid the rangers in a nice swinging stunt on a crane. After the three rangers finish off the Krybots and grumm's minion (called a Blue Head....uhh huh....-_-) retreat, the rangers soon demorph as Skye plans to still take them in despite helping them.  Luckily, Krueger soon arrives and arrests them himself while also surprisingly granting them a spot on the B Squad.  Which at first doesn't make sense, given that Grumm is on his way and he would need a back up team of rangers at full strength just in case.  I also love how observant Kreuger is as he sees Z and Jack share a lot of characteristics of the other 3 cadets: great fighters with special powers but needing proper and strict mentoring before they can reach their full potential.  Of course, it doesn't take away from the fact that they are criminals but he sees so much potential in them that would be detrimental to the team's progress in the future.  Unfortunately, Z is the only who decides to join the academy and B Squad since she wanted to do something bigger with her life as she told Jack in Part 1.  I love the reaction of B Squad...or should I say Skye rather.  Jesus, this guy is too much of an arrogant jerk but his line about catching criminals toward Z's nervous entrance to the team was pretty hilarious.

Meanwhile, Grumm is pissed that his Blue Head failed and immediately crushes to death!....Only to form a new one to serve him! Jesus, at least recycle your failure Grumm!!! :P Back at S.P.D., Jack is in the middle of trying to escape but is stopped by the school's robotic K9, Rick, who foils his early attempt at freedom.  Z soon enters to give Jack some food and reminds him of the opportunity he's been given instead of being sent to prison.  Jack continuing to be stubborn, turns it down again and proceeds to call Z a sellout pretty much before Z gives him some last wise words for leaving his cell.  What follows is a meeting with the 4 cadets and Grumm who find out that Grumm is trying to enter their galaxy and seem to be using his Krybots, Troobian foot soldiers to find them; lead by a Blue Head.  After a monster attack, B Squad is called to back up A Squad....BUT it's just really an excuse to for them to literally clean up the remnants of said fight.  Jesus, Krueger, no SPD cleaning crew??? O_o  Stop discouraging these guys already! O_o  Anyway, Bridge soon uses his aura ability to see that many foot soldiers from Grumm's army seem to be looking for something, which leads Z to remember that random alien giving her and Jack that weird device. Back at SPD, during a random fire, Rick decides to free Jack to help put it out but it's just Boom being a baffoon and nearly burning the lab down testing a new suit made for the testing division.  Ohhh Boom, so annoying yet so enduring so far, especially explaining why Jack giving up to be a Power Ranger is extremely dumb.  It's nice we already get some back story on Boon and how he came to be apart of SPD despite his dreams of being a ranger never happening.  Seriously, really nice scene between the two there! :)  Anyway, when Z reveals the proton accelerator to rest of the team, they begin to argue about how to follow suit.  While Skye wants to head back to base, Z cheerily reminds them of one of the rules in the SPD handbook that allows them to continue their investigation without talking to command first.

What follows is the introduction yet another recurring character in Piggy, a sleazy and very disgusting street merchant who Z knows from her days on the street.  Honestly, I'm just trying to keep my lunch down just as much as Bridge, Syde and Skye as Piggy leaks some blue fluid from his forehead.  EEHHWWWWW!!! o_O Anyway, as Piggy tells them what the device is, the team is soon surrounded by the new Blue Head and new army of Krybots after the accelerator.  The 4 quickly morph and once again, the morph sequence is pretty boss as Z reacts to being the Yellow Ranger.  The 4 do their best against them while Piggy mysteriously steals the accelerator during the battle....ohhh come on....-_- As the 4 struggle against the Krybots lead by the Blue Head, Krueger soon reacts to this from the academy as he spots Jack and Rick making their way to the bridge of the school. As Jack sees Z in trouble, we soon see him arrive just in time during the fight to help the others with his own Delta Morpher!  It's Red Ranger Badass time! :) This first fight is really exceptional, mostly Sentai footage but hey, it's awesome as always as we see just how impressive Jack's skills are as the Red Ranger on top of that as he destroys the Blue Head himself once and for all.  Poor Skye, red just isn't your color man! :P  At least....not yet! ;)  Anyway, as a robotic monster soon rises, A Squad is soon called in their Delta Runners to destroy it while the B Squad watches on.  While the team did well their first go around, Z and Jack must continue to work toward paying their debt to society by cleaning ALL the windows of the academy.  Seriously, without Z's cloning powers, how they hell are they even able to clean over 1200 windows as Rick shows them!!!?? O_o "Power Rangers HLF" aka "Hard Labor Force".  Oh there's also some guy muhahahaing from afar about the rangers "enjoying their fun for now" while we see up on Grumm's ship that old Piggy has just given him the proton accelerator to entire Earth's galaxy....oh boy!!! O_o Oh Piggy!!! -_-  Otherwise, a great premiere overall in establishing the new status quo and story objective of the series while setting up personal character arcs and bigger battles ahead.  Not one of my favorites or even coming close to last season's "Day of the Dino", but a very strong and solid opener to the show for sure! :)

Final Morph: B+