Power Rangers S.P.D. Overview

Power Rangers S.P.D. :Season 13
Episode Count: 38
Air Date: February 5th, 2005-November 14th, 2005

It's funny, these seasons are getting shorter in terms of episodes yet it's taking much longer to get them done and overview them as a whole.  Of course, it's because LIFE has been preoccupying my time like crazy since I start this very demanding task of reviewing the entire franchise from beginning to the most recent incarnation.  20+ years of Ranger content is definitely the extremely grueling project I have decided to take on...but thankfully, seasons  like this one remind me why I started re-watching Power Rangers and why I'm gonna continue until I reach Beast Morphers.  :)  What's so surprising to me during this re-watch is how previous seasons I loved so much, aren't as good as I remember them as a whole while others like S.P.D. are far more impressive than when I watched it for the first time. :)  I think when I originally watched S.P.D. it was just a run of the mill season that was overall entertaining.  I liked it, but now I LOVE this season and would possibly put it above some fan favorites like Zeo, even Lost Galaxy.  Right from the very beginning...in "Beginnings, Part 1 and 2" (Seriously, WHAT THE...o_O), we get a great sense of who these new team of heroes that are about to start their journey and dreams of being the best of the best when it comes to Space Patrol Delta.  I really enjoyed how this team of rangers were assembled with Sky, Bridge and Sky already B Squad cadets already eagerly awaiting their calling as rangers while chasing after two criminals, who will turn out to be their newest teammates in Jack and Z. We get sense of who each character is as well with Jack being the stubborn, bossy bad boy turned team leader, Z the street kid and sister figure to Jack who aspires to do bigger than being thieves, Sky the condescending cadet who is clearly sexist (When asked if Syd was appointed a Red Ranger...WOW! -_-) and feels he deserves to be Red Ranger based on who his father was at the academy, Syd the vapid, self centered pretty girl who cares about how she looks in Pink more than anything else and then, Bridge...who clearly is some kind of scientific genius but has the dumbest personality most of the time....yeah, I still don't get Bridge.  But if I'm going to summarize our team of heroes let me start with their leader.

It's funny how Cruger made Jack the Red Ranger when the others needed help.  I mean he could have made him another color or sent in reinforcements that could help the team instead making a newly arrested and reluctant street thief when offered to be on the team the mantle of Red Ranger.  I mean Jack didn't even want to be on the team when Cruger offered both he and Z to be on B Squad and only accepted when he saw Z was in trouble.  In the episode following the premiere, "Confronted", we see the privileges of being team leader going to his head fast as he abuses his power toward not just the other rangers, but other cadets while...he just sits around and does nothing.  I actually don't blame Jack as he and Z came from literally nothing and have been living off of stealing their whole lives. Now he has the chance to have real power and indulge in the all access code that comes with being Red Ranger...before of course, the team speaks out and think Jack should stand down.  It isn't until he sees the rangers in trouble once again that he realizes the error of his ways and learns to humble himself again...even more so than before.  Even putting himself through intense training at the end of the episode to take his punishment.  It was the first indication of Jack learning to not only be a true leader and understanding what it means to be Red Ranger.  Cruger obviously saw A LOT of potential in Jack as a ranger, maybe even more so than the others as his lessons always seemed to be the hardest on Jack in particular.  But then again, Jack was always waaayyy too headstrong and stubborn when it came to how he did as not just leader, but as a ranger period.  Like in "Samurai", when Jack believes that the Shadow Ranger's saber is the only thing that can defeat their latest enemy.  While I still think Cruger should have chosen a better tactic to prove his point than giving Jack a fake of his sword and telling him after, we see Jack realize that his skills as an S.P.D. ranger.  We see throughout the season that Jack goes from being a rough street kid with selfish ambitions to a noble warrior and leader of the team who is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure S.P.D. is successful.  Sure, there were frequent moments where Jack disobeyed his orders from Cruger and ran off to do what he wanted to do, but his intentions were always for the betterment of the team, despite Cruger's anger toward him for doing so.  I think Jack's best moment for me comes in "Resurrection", when he finally stands up to Cruger about wanting a life outside of S.P.D. and needing Cruger to understand that he has always put the team first as well as has always been there when it mattered.  It's a heartwarming moment and I love how scared Jack looked but carried on by realizing his place in the world may not be with S.P.D.  By season's end, Jack chooses to head back to the streets but not as a thief but as a clothing donating ally to Ally (HA!).  It was all about Jack realizing there are ways to leave to life he did but more nobly than stealing and you can tell Z was so proud of him for that.

Speaking of Jack's original ride or die (I'm kidding :P), Z seemed to be the more rational of the two even when they were criminals.  Even when the three cadets were after them, Z knew they would be better off running than Jack wanting to go back and help them.  Which is ironic given Z is the one of the two of them that immediately takes the offer to be B Squad's newest cadet/Yellow Ranger.  Besides being Z's best friend and moral compass when he would get outline or egotistical, Z had are own personal arc of fitting into the world and being accepted.  I noticed of all the main 5 rangers, Z had the least episodes centered with "Sam, Part 1 and Part 2".  I guess that's not too bad considering Z seemed greatly defined as the tough but compassionate member of the team but the Sam two parter went on to show the reasons behind her upbringing and mentality as well as her teaching young Sam that being different doesn't mean you can't be apart of the world aka have a friend.  Yeah, cheesy and sentimental but I loved how Z's backstory about being bullied was integral to Sam's current story by showing him that their powers are apart of who they are and that Sam has a purpose.  It's also cool to just see Z be so smart and badass when dealing with Mora and how to stop her manipulation of Sam himself.  By season's end, she stays on the team as the Yellow Ranger while reminding us of the premiere about her talk with Jack about doing something bigger in their lives.  Something they finally get to do and soooo much more.  I guess I'll talk about Syd...probably the most stereotypical Pink Ranger archetype since most definitely Kimberly from the very first season.  Sometimes I wonder how Sud got into the academy...actually what even made her want to be a ranger when it's such a dirty, gritty job going after and capturing criminals??? O_o  Sure she's committed to her training and ranger duties, but even in the premiere, she seemed more excited by the fact that her suit turned out to be Pink like she wanted instead of...you know....what it means to be a ranger and the immense responsibility of the job!! At the beginning of the season, Syd definitely rubbed me the wrong way (with the #1 character who rubbed me the wrong way yet to be talked about) But then by ":Dogged", we began seeing shades of her being more understanding and empathetic when R.I.C. saves her life during a solo mission by sacrificing herself when a monster attacks her.  It leads her to advocating for R.I.C. to be rebuilt and even after R.I.C. shows shines of being defective. Syd still believes in the robotic canine as it turns out he was right about where the slime turned citizens of New Tech City were.  "Stakeout" once again tries to show Syd to be more human even if I didn't like the episode much overall.  By missing her annual birthday dinner, she learns about Jack a bit more and finds it within her heart to share her birthday with him in the end.  A kind gesture that began her seeing herself less and seeing other people more.  Like "Zapped" when she went on a solo mission despite Cruger's words toward the rangers by her taking the initiative to save the day on her own...tho the mind control spell on her was played more for laughs than being any real serious plot point. I guess of all the main characters, Syd had the least wrapped up arc, but you could definitely tell by season's end, she was willing to sacrifice herself to save the many lives of New Tech City as well as the world. :)

Back to guys now! Sky...yeah, this was the character I didn't like the most at the beginning of the season.  He was sexiest, overconfident and feeling he deserved to be Red Ranger.  WHAT??! I mean when they three cadets first morph he is vocally upset by the fact he is the Blue Ranger. O_O Who does this guy think he is??? Not to mention, Sky was always by the books in the most obnoxious way as he was so uptight about S.P.D. rules and regulations that he made Kai look like the life of the party in comparison. That just shows how strong the writing was for this season as Sky was one of the best developed characters of season.  Almost all of his episodes (sans maybe "Walls") were some of the best episodes of the season as we truly saw Sky change in some very heroic and moral complex ways.  In "Idol", we get some insight on who Sky use to be when he first joined the academy when his friend Dru mysterious returns after missing for 3 years.  Unlike say "Memories of Mirinoi" where Maya was a complete b!tch and irrational, there is proper cause for Sky not to trust Jack's suspicions of Dru, especially since Jack hadn't proven himself much as a ranger yet.  Of course, Sky learns the hard way about his friend's betrayal but faces him head on to save the day.  We also see yet another episode showcasing Sky at his best when in "Recognition", he and Wootox trade bodies and he must find a way to stop him before he takes control of S.P.D.'s academy. But the most pivotal moment in Sky's development came in the masterful two parter "Reflection, Part 1 and 2" where he has to face his father's murder during a solo mission; leading to an epic and truly touching moment when Jack gives Sky his morpher so her can take Mirloc in...for his father...which is Sky's whole motivation this season to become the leader.  After losing his father, Sky felt it was his right to continue to follow in his father's legacy but clearly was not ready for such a position. I also thoroughly enjoy the budding rivalry between Jack and Sky as they would always compete to be better than the other.  We saw moments of them constantly going at it like in "Confronted" when Sky thinks he isn't a leader or in "Impact", where the two finally show how much they respect each other in the end despite everything they've been through prior.  By season's end, Sky is properly given the Red Ranger spot when Jack leaves because he literally changed from the premiere until the finale, finally earning the right to be leader and not demanding it. :)

Lastly, Bridge, our goofy and eccentric Green Ranger...who pretty much seen as the team dummy based on his idiotic, weird type of thinking.  Sometimes it was because he was over thinking the simplest task or he just couldn't count from 1-4??? O_o  But then how is Bridge so intelligent that he can help Boom rebuild R.I.C. and solve mysteries that the other rangers couldn't like the real criminal behind the robberies in "A-Bridged".  I mean there are A LOT of times Bridge comes through and is shown to be a much more capable ranger at times than the others like in the two parter "Wired, Part 1 and 2" when Goradon is after some powerful weapon that turns out to be Sophia, a cyborg that gets unfairly treated by the other rangers like Sky who just kicks her out.  You can tells Briddge is extremely caring and understanding when it comes to the differences of others as well as being surprisingly clear headed (WOW! I said the same thing O_O)  under intense pressure like in "Missing" when he about to be literally crushed to death.  I guess Bridge's personal arc is being accepted the rangers despite his awkward way of being a ranger as he clearly earned his spot as a ranger and maybe Cruger saw something in him that would contribute immensely to the B Squad.  As for the rangers' tough and sometimes condescending mentor, Commander Cruger, he also took a couple of episodes for me to really enjoy his character.  He always seemed so pissed off and agitated at the rangers simply because they were so young and pushed them far at times when he didn't need to.  Also, giving Jack that fake sword to go into battle??? O_o  But we soon learn why Cruger was such a stern and tough mentor given he extremely troubling and tragic story with him being the only survivor of his homeworld after Emperor Grumm attack, then destroyed it.  Finally you got to see Cruger as sympathy and vulnerable instead so angry and rigid.  Not to mention, the debut of the Shadow Ranger during his two part episode, "Shadow, Part 2" was for sure one of the highlight episodes of the series as Cruger fights General Bennog over Kat's freedom.  We also see Cruger face resignation when Commander Birdie, his superior of S.P.D. headquarters, comes in too replace him in "Dismissed" before Jack of all people reminds him why the rangers need him so much.  Soon he began quickly looking at the rangers are worthy heroes to defend the Earth ("Insomnia") instead of the nagging, bickering children he saw them as before ("S.W.A.T., Part 1 and 2"). Certainly one of the finest mentors of the franchise...even if his incredibly large snot would disappear into his helmet after he morph!! O_o lol I already though Kat was a remarkably sweet character.  Clearly not just the scientific expert of the academy's lab, but the maternal figure when the rangers needed to hear what Cruger was too stern to say to them yet.  Also, her relationship with Cruger was touching and extremely well defined, like two parents arguing about their children.  She never afraid to call Doggie out on his outrageous mentoring but also was there to comfort and motivate him when his job got tough.  I actually didn't mind not having an episode centered around her and then came "Katastrophe", a pretty nice exploration of Kat's perspective as she leaves the academy to take on a much more powerful role at S.P.D. headquarters.  The Kat Ranger...was cool I guess and I'm glad the writers just regulated that ranger to one episode.  Last of the main cast is Boom, the comic relief character who just can't seem to be taken seriously because he was so bumbling.  I won't talk about the episode "Boom" just cause it shows Boom at his most annoying and idiotic.  It's funny when his best moment came in the second half of the finale when he found the courage to inspire the academy to stand up against Grumm's army even if the final battle seemed impossible to win.  It just shows that Book learn that being a real hero doesn't mean you have to be a ranger, he realized he has it within himself to lead the charge when it matters. :)

I guess I should talk about Sam aka the Omega Ranger....but there's literally nothing to talk about!!! O_O He has a phenomenal introduction in "Messenger, Part 1 and 2" when he finally revealed as that mysterious floating ball of light that came out a temporal portal at the end of Samurai.  But even after it was revealed the new ranger was a grown up Sam from the future, the writers did absolutely nothing with the character.  I mean we don't even get to see him out of his suit until a split second shot of him and the Nova Ranger (Yeah, she was....yeah! O_o) heading back home to the future.  I know the writers have already expressed their frustration for making that choice because of budget issues, it still annoys the hell out of me how they could have explored Sam as an adult in the past and what happened during the years that made him the Omega Ranger.  Hell, we don't even get more plot development between his friendship with Z until the very end as well.  A moment I loved of course but I just wish the Omega Ranger wasn't some glorified extra ranger instead an integral character to the overall story...that's all...sigh. :(  Going to our villains this year, they were good overall.  While Emperor Grumm wasn't nearly as twisted and menacing as Mesagog, he still proved to be a more competent villain than most.  He confronted and almost beat the rangers are several occasions, came up with decent as hell plans and even manage to score victories over the rangers when they were preoccupied by Broodwing.  Sure at the end, it turns out Grumm was pretty much a lackey for Omni, a much larger threat, but he himself as the main villain for most of the season was intimating and adequate enough to be MAJOR trouble for S.P.D.  Mora/Morgana has got to be the strangest, creepiest villain of this show.  She has a child form (Mora) and an adult form (Morgana) who seem almost like polar opposites with Mora being so childishly innocent but manipulative and able to draw monsters for Grumm to life while Morgana is more of you standard villain general for the big bad.  Clearly I liked Mora more, because it fascinates me why Morgana loves being her so much...seriously, she keep begging to be a child again...YIKES! I do wish we got some backstory on her and why she is the way she is because the character alone is unique and inventive in a way but what we got from both versions of her wasn't bad at all.  Broodwing was a cool villain as he had a business deal with Grumm.  He provided him various weapons for his army aka giant robots to fight the rangers until Grumm started being cheap and not paying him for his services.  It led to Broodwing turning on his former boss and making a solo villain out of himself to takeover the planet instead of Grumm.  And he manages to be a great villain and almost beating S.P.D. at the end of "Endings, Part 1".  The only thing that didn't work for me was Omni....turning out to be a huge CGI monstrosity with no depth and just all spectacle.  I mean the build up toward him was nice with Grumm constantly talking to a mysterious presence and Mora literally being terrified then turned into one of his subjects but....all tell, little show for me with that...thing! O_o

Just to wrap things up, the police motif let the show have some very interesting zords again this season, especially since we got animatronic models like the old Sentai seasons instead of CGI constructs for the zords. While the Delta Squad Megazord and Omegamax Megazord were alright (still don't get hiding behind buildings for cover but whatever! O_o), the Delta Command Megazord being one of the most skyscraper type zords since the Super Train Megazord during Lightspeed. The S.W.A.T. Megazord was definitely my second favorite as well as the S.W.A.T. power up was well designed and very well earned by the rangers.  I truly enjoyed this season immensely as the rangers presented this season were underdogs to begin with before being seen as the rightful defenders of Earth as they would proclaim.  The letter Squad set up was actually an original idea that not even Sentai had and it helped to set the major confrontation between the newly evil A Squad and now noble B Squad.  While the final fight was a mixed bag of too many Michael Bay type explosions (as this is nothing compared to the seasons to come....my god!), the meaning and message behind it was so paramount as Jack, Z, Sky, Bridge and Syd grew up and struggle through various battles, in-fighting and personal obstacles to make themselves the best bunch of rangers the academy has ever had.  Even in the end, the rangers proudly stay B Squad because it meant something to them in the end after originally wanting to be an A Squad cadet to be respected.  Wow!!! Bravo writers, Brav-O!!! :)


Pros:

• A very likable and engaging cast, from the main 5 rangers to supporting characters like Kat and Boom.
• Emperor Grumm, Broodwing and Mora/Morgana made for decent, competent and fascinating villains.
• Everything with the Shadow Ranger!
• The best finale in the last few seasons with "Endings, Part 1 and Part 2".
• The entertaining and heartwarming rivalry between Jack and Sky.
• Very solid and strong individual character arcs from Jack's development as a leader to Sky's desire to be Red Ranger.

Cons:

• The extreme disappointment overall with Omni as the final main villain.
• The immense missed opportunity with Sam aka the Omega Ranger
• The growing unnecessary need for Kalishplosions.
• Lackluster premiere and finale titles....I mean...really???

Best Episodes:
1. "Recognition"-Honestly, I think the episodes centered around Sky had some of the best writing of the season with "Recognition" being my favorite of the bunch.  We've never seen a monster and ranger switch bodies before, so this was an extremely intense scenario that the writers took every advantage.  Wootox was a brilliant villain that he really made sure there was almost no way for Sky as well as S.P.D. succeed; leading one of Sky's most heroic moments of the series. Excellent! :)

2. "Endings, Part 1 and 2"-Like I said, the strongest finale in years with a two part wrap up with so much action, you'll be surprised there was any room for soooo much story closer with the rangers, Cruger, even Boom and Piggy.  Jesus, this was a spectacular full circle ender down so right! :)

3. "Shadow, Part 2"-Cruger was a tough character for me to like at first.  He always seemed needlessly demanding and mean toward B Squad despite how hard they were trying to rise to the occasion as Earth's last hope against Cruger.  But during this two parter, especially Part 2, we see the man...or dog behind the very conflicted and agitated Cruger with a tragic past and having to rise above it to save Kat from an enemy from his past.  The Shadow Ranger was also born...HELLO!!! :)

4. "Reflection, Part 1 and 2"-While not by top Sky episode, this emotionally charged two parter is by far the peak of his character journey as Sky is sent on a mission that leaves him face to face with the main that murdered his father.  Some solid character development, a great villain in Mirloc and seeing Sky get to be Red Ranger by Jack handing him his morpher to avenge his father...EPIC!!!

5. "Idol"-Lastly, this Sky centered episode was the first to truly delve deep behind his stubborn, know it all persona by showing a cadet truly hurt and conflicted when one of his dearest friends returns to defeat S.P.D. The inner conflict as well is palpable; making Sky for the first time very relatable, even likable as we got to know him when he takes it a bit easy.  Very nice! :)



Worst Episodes:
1. "Robotpalooza"-Honestly, the most head scratching and most nonsensical episode of the season.  No wonder it's a Bridge episode being a bizarre personality as he is.  Now I LOVE Bridge, he may be extremely dimwitted but he's ultimately charming and gives the team that comic relief member at times.  But his one time only dream vision of the rangers being defeated by those robots is mostly unexplained and makes you wonder why the writers wrote the episode this way in the first place.

2. "Dismissed"-Meh! I don't like Commander Birdie...at all!!! Hence why I found this episode lackluster overall.  An episode that should have been an excellent exploration of mentorship and how to lead is basically Birdie being an overconfident idiot and putting S.P.D. more at risk.  Sure, Grumm confronts the rangers and it's awesome, but ultimately spoiled by the A plot at hand.

3. "Boom"-Once again, don't get me wrong, I loved Boom and his own personal journey from science lab test dummy to unlikely ally inspiring S.P.D. in the absence of the rangers in the finale.  But...his episode. SUCKS! Boom puts his own life and the rangers' lives in danger multiple times just impress his parents but what did he really learn besides he's not meant to be a ranger and lying??? O_o

4. "Stakeout"-Meh! This was a weak attempt at centering an episode around Syd based on her and Jack teaming up for an episode despite it being her birthday.  Doesn't show Syd in the best light and I can forgive it because it's a very early episode but it just falls apart pretty much.  Oh Jack doesn't have a birthday and never celebrates it, so now Syd has a change of heart??? Nope!

5. "Perspective"-I'm all for comedic episodes, the repetitive replay of the same scene over and over again with just a different "perspective" from each ranger got old by the third time we had to watch the scene again.  Oh and that ball of light saves the rangers....yeah...moving on!


"Set in the not to distant future of 2025, Power Rangers S.P.D. is a great season focusing on the entertaining dysfunction yet tremendous growth of a rad tag team of young heroes who must overcome their personal flaws and rivalries with each other to become more than just the second rate back-ups to the academy's celebrated A Squad.  Outside some writing issues like the seriously unforgivable treatment of the elusive Omega Ranger, eye numbing over reliance of the Kalishplosions and generic episode titles, the overall story arc this season is solid, even superb at times where we see police professionals not only have to face an empire of world dominating villains who are both forward thinking and mysterious, but face their greatest fears within themselves to rise to level of heroism that feels incredibly earned by season's end.  Top that off with a strong supporting cast of mentor, technical expert and comic relief, this season is definitely a must see. ;)"

Season Verdict: B+