Season 14, Episode 1: Broken Spell, Part 1

"Broken Spell, Part 1"
Episode 1
Air Episode: February 20th, 2006

Well, look who finally got to Mystic Force after taking months to almost a year with yet another season.  But here I am, continuing to re-watch and review the franchise from it's mighty dino themed introduction to the current Hasbro era with Beast Morphers.  At this point, who knows, I might not catch up until Season 28 next year but here's hoping with some much time on my hands with this quarantine taking place, I'll get there a lot faster than usual? Meh! Anyway, we begin in some magical dimension that looks like something out of the Wizard of Oz meets Lord of the Rings when suddenly, darkness came and plunged the dimension into war!!! Oh nooooooo!!! We see a medieval type battle where both sides of good magic and dark magic are fighting until the day 5 wizards arose to cast the darkness back into the depths of the underworld before it could takeover our world aka the mortal world.  I love how over dramatic the narrator of this is, especially saying there was peace after the war on Earth until the darkness returned.  Ummmm, soooo we're just gonna forget the evil space sorceress, her boss, her father, the massive robot empire, space pirates, intergalactic assault on the universe, demons, evil mutants from the future, Orgs, Evil space ninjas, mutated offspring of a failed dinosaur experiment and that time an alien Emperor from the future came with a team of future rangers after him to conquer the past??? Really??? Ok, moving on...we see some wanna be badass on a motorcycle heading to a town called Briarwood because apparently he needs to tell himself out loud for the audience cause we can't see the big sign saying "Briarwood 25 Miles"....great start so far as you can see. O_O

We go to the town's music store aka The Rock Porium, where we meet 4 of our soon to be rangers as usual. There's Vida, playing some horrendous music on some turntables while her sister, Madison, records her on her cam corder,,,,ahhh simpler times before smart phones...sigh. :(  She also records Chip, who's busy play fighting while Xander is busy being a lasy bum before the store's owner Tobey arrives.  Tobey apparently just came from swimming or scuba diving of some sort before he lectures his employees aka the 4 teens to do some productive work and clean up the shop for once. As Tobey heads to his office, Xander immediately takes control of the situation and forces the other 3 to do their individual jobs...while he just supervises to Vida's irritation! Suddenly, an earthquake begins as they are run for cover, although Chip almost puts himself in harms ways because he's too excited by the whole thing; thank God Madison saves him.  Seriously, what's up with Chip and the hyperactive personality??? O_o  Anyway, the earthquake apparently left a crack in that large Gate to the underworld where the evil was banish; letting an evil being named Koragg to arrive, explosions and all.....uhh huh.... I find it hilarious how he mentions after 'so many years I'm free!"  Yeah dude, Rita did that first and BETTER, sorry. :P Suddenly, back in town, an old man tries to get someone to help him find his brother that was taken to the woods by some creature.  Everyone is scared, including the 4 teens...but our mysterious bike rider makes himself heard, that he will help him.  The guy is named Nick as Xander introduces himself and the other 3 to him.  Apparently, the woods are extremely dangerous and once you go in, you NEVER come out! Ooooooo!!! O_o  Doesn't stop Vida and the excitable Chip from offering to help him with Nick while Madison and Xander stay behind.  Up on one of the roofs of the buildings, a monster bat woman laughs...menacingly O_o before flying away and into the underworld apparently where we see an army of foot soldiers, called Hidiacs. against the walls of a very deep crevice as we see a monster named Morticon address her.  She tells him about the human world and how it's ready to be conquered as Morticon prepares the army of dark magic to takeover it.

Back at the woods, the old man is being all creepy and seriously freaks the kids out when Nick asks him why he's asking so many questions when he's brother is in danger. Seriously dude, do you want these kids to help you or not??? O_o Anyway, Madison and Xander soon arrive to join them to make sure they get through this safely...sure...it's not you guys will go into woods and end up in a different dimension and the creepy old man with suddenly disappear.....oh crap! O_O As the teens wonder where he went, Nick think they are joking about someone being behind him when someone really is behind them; some being in a long dark cloak that we saw before mentioning the darkness returning.  She uses her Hogwarts magic to make 5 brooms send them flying whi;e she defeats the Hidiacs who were about to attack.  The teens end up in front of some enormous tree that the scary cloak person calls Root Core.  I love how they back into it via a large Dragon's mouth but whatever, just do what doesn't make sense.  Once inside, the cloak person does more  sparkly magic before revealing herself.  This is Udonna and she is a powerful sorceress who tells them about what we learn at the beginning of the episode about the war vs. dark magic yada, yada, yada.  Basically, she gives the 5 teens each one of the wands from the opening scene as they are the destined 5 magic wielders who will drive the darkness back into the underworld for good aka Power Rangers!! Of course, Chip is the only one excited, TOO excited if you ask me...about everything.  I hate to ask this but is Chip autistic or something???  You can tell he seems a bit off...extremely off! Unlike Bridge, who has his moments of reservations despite being so goofy.  Anyway, we soon meet Claire, Udonna's apprentice who warns about more the dark forces coming.  Udonna quickly tells the rangers to stay while she tends to the trouble.  Claire awkwardly tries to make them stay as they try to leave but Claire doesn't make it hard at all by mistakenly turning herself into a sheep.....oh boy!  Why did Udonna leave them with her again if she's a magical hazard waiting to happen??? -_-

Anyway, the teens leave and soon arrive at a small village after it has been attacked. Udonna confronts them as she wasn't surprised they would leave root...ohhh I see now.  Suddenly, the magical creatures of the village celebrate the arrival the savers of their dimension...before being interrupted by a giant Orge attacking. Since the teens left their wands behind, Udonna will have to dispatch the Ogre as she uses her own magic wand to morph into the White Mystic Ranger.  Wow, you can already tell this season's aesthetic when it comes to ranger suits is very different and unique; which is refreshing considering this is the first magic/supernatural based series of the franchise.  So while Udonna deals with the Ogre, the Hidiacs arrive and Nick tells them they need to fight.  Too bad Xander thinking his Plan Xander will stop them from attacking them but just gets tossed away.  In fact, all the rangers get tossed around during the beginning of the fight like freakin' rag dolls...literally.  Pretty brutal and I actually feared they would be seriously hurt.  Anyway, Udonna sees them getting their asses handed to them viciously and tells them if they believe in magic to use magic....wait..WHAT!? o_O  So does that work because their chosen rangers with natural access to magic or can anyone believe in magic and use it because if it's the latter....-_- Naturally, Chip is the first to believe (No surprised there the gullible fool)  as he hits the Hidiacs with yellow lightning.  Soon the other teens follow suit as Xander summons powerful roots from a tree, Madison summons multiple gushes of  huge water sprouts and Vida turns into a Pink tornado....how nice!  So how's Nick....damn....yeah!  Apparently, Nick can't save himself because he doesn't believe...to which I say...ARE YOU F^&*ING KIDDING ME??? O_O Nick...you are in a mystical dimension, got carried away by a sudden quidditch match, are fighting monsters from the underworld, saw a very socially awkward blonde girl turn herself into a sheep, confronted by a giant Ogre, a sorceress turn herself into a Power Ranger via magic and just saw your new friends summon the elements out of thin air!!!! HOLY CRAP!!! It's not even the end of the episode and Nick is already the worst ranger I have EVER seen...in terms of basic common sense and rationality.  Anyway, Udonna saves him and demorphs as she says is a non-believer (Oh my god!!! -_-)  Soon sheep Claire arrives and Udonna tells her to lead him back to the entrance of the woods since she can't force his destiny on him.  Soon Purple Knight Guy aka Koragg arrives to destroy Udonna and the rangers with a Kalishplosion for good measure; ending Part 1.  So far....meh!  There are elements of the show that are ok, if not clumsy and bizarre so far.  Won't give my open until after Part 2 so....on to it!

Final Morph: C+