Season 15, Episode 5: Weather Or Not

"Weather Or Not"
Episode 5
Air Date: March 19th, 2007

Meh!!! I was hoping with this episode focusing on Mack, the only really likable character of the rangers would be a solid spotlight on him but Overdrive continues to be baffling in how lackluster it treats its characters when it comes to development.  Mack has been the most heroic ranger of the team as he was the most eager to be a ranger as well as prove to his father that he could handle the tasking of saving the world despite his fears.  And yet, here we see Mack, during a recent mission when the rangers have to stop Moltor from stealing an energy generator in Australia, just as eager to give up after failing to save an innocent civilian that Will saves with his Hovercraft Cycle, introduced last episode.  Now I understand Mack, given that he is such a passionate and excitable person ready to save the day having a moment of self doubt...I mean what ranger hasn't throughout the franchise like Jason in Missing Green or Carlos in Always A Chance.  But! At least during their moment of giving up, they found with themselves to continue the fight when they are absolutely needed again.  Here Mack is just soooo eager to quit, especially after failing to start a megazord when Hartford needs him to the save the other rangers!!! -_-  Mack just keeps coming back more and more self loathing than even Dax was a few episodes ago, practically begging his dad to take back his mantle as the red ranger to the point where he hands his tracker morpher back to him so his father can save the day!

Now if this episode happened further down the season, I'd be a little more inclined to understand this sudden swift in character but not 5 episodes into the show. O_o  Mack was the one who wanted to be a ranger more than anything, hell, the first 2 episodes are pretty much Mack trying to prove himself as the red ranger and finally earning his dad's respect to be the leader of the team full time.  Now barely into his tenure as a ranger and wants to flat out quit when his team needs him the most because he can't start a megazord??!!  Not only is that severely stupid and irresponsible on Mack's part but it literally takes away all intensity and urgency as the rangers are trapped under a massive snow crater while Mack can't get over his sudden pathetic moping about failing as a ranger. ONCE! Too soon out to so easily let go of being a ranger and passing it on to the man who didn't want you to be in the first place. -_-  And you know the worst part of this episode is??? That it's not even his father's constant wisdom about being hero every-time Mack is about to quit that makes him suit up again, it's the fact we see the rangers casually listening to music and reading a book in their trapped zords like it's a rainy day inside their homes or something.  What, The. F%^&!!?? O_o  Where are the stakes, the intensity, the freakin' urgency of the situation. These rangers man...GAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! Not even capable of figuring out to escape their situation and would rather wait around to be saved like their at the freakin' library just wasting time.  The fate of the world is at stake remember...Are you kidding me??? Imagine if after the Evil Green Ranger sent Jason to Rita's dark dimension and instead of fighting his way out...he's just practicing his martial arts cheerfully while Goldar is at a loss for words! O_O  THANK YOU! -_-

Anyway, this episode was also about Moltor creating a weather machine powerful enough to control the weather but it goes out of control and the rangers must go after it and defeat it.  After saving the rangers with the new Drill Driver zord, the out of control cocoon powering the machine turns into a monster...because! and the ranger must form the DriveMax Megazord.  Unfortunately the monster is too powerful, forcing them to form a new configuration: The DriveMax Megazord Drill formation, which they use to easily destroy the monster for good.  The episode ends with the rangers finally preparing to head toward St. Lucia to find one of the jewels while Flurious and Norg continue to make gimmicky sitcom antics.  Not a good episode by any means as it actually made me dislike Mack just as much as the rest of the team...well sans Rose and we'll see what they do with her next episode since she'll get the focus! :(

Final Morph: D-