Season 16, Episode 32: Now the Final Fury

 

"Now the Final Fury"

Episode 32

Air Date: November 3rd, 2008

Well, as finales go, "Now the Final Fury" does extremely well when wrapping up personal character arcs, hinted at romances and new beginnings for our reformed villains....BUT the finally battle with Dai Shi is unfortunately as anti-climatic as you would expect after such a satisfying season ender type episode like "Path of the Righteous" was.  This is what happens when your finisher for the season is left almost vacant when the penultimate episode had so much effort, heart (pun intended!) and finality to it that the finale has to be more of an epilogue to keep things going for one episode.  For most of the episode, Jarrod spends his time mopping next to Camille in the chamber while the rangers are....just kind of meandering through some training until it's time for the last battle???  We get some last minute support from our heroic trio to try to inspire Jarrod to help them once last time against Dai Shi but he continues to whine about not be horrible while Camille looks all mopey with him.  Sigh. 

As for the final battle itself.....it maybe grander in scope and action than the previous episode but that just shows how much more emotion and effort put into the character work and building toward that action than the action for the sake of action here. Kalishplosions are unfortunately back in full force and it only feels like it's only because it's finale time, so big final fight will endless. EXPLOSIONS!!! O_o Not to mention, Dai Shi's last plan with opening up the spiritual realm to bring back all the previous monsters we had this season just doesn't feel as awesome as it's trying to be.  We've already had that kind of apocalyptic plot point before and the finale here doesn't really break whole new ground with it.  Also, the fact we get this big final fight between the rangers and the three Masters against......only for him to return less than a minute later in the actual final battle has to be the most unintentionally funniest thing from this show I've seen in....oh what am I saying!? lol Even Casey makes an clearly annoyed mention of having to face off against him when the three of them just destroyed him. Ha!!! I just can't!!! Also, I don't get how the Spirit Rangers and their respective masters are able to fight alongside each other??? That was NEVER established they could function separately and team up together but whatever, it just bugged me during the episode.  Also, the four dead masters coming in to help was all badass, especially seeing Master Mao back to kick some a$$...until the incredibly laughable sequence of all the Masters summoning the highest form of their animal spirits and turning....into a bunch of cheap looking animal costumes at some carnival or theme park.  I just.....can't with this show and it's jarring overt silliness/goofiness juxtaposed to the seriousness of the world ending sometimes.  Smdh....

Anyway, Camille finally decides to leave Jarrod and prove herself just as Dai Shi has apparently collected enough fear as well as stolen all the animal spirits of the Masters to create his true form: a multi-headed dragon monster that look kind like the Hydra from Greek mythology.  As Dai Shi literally blasts the rangers relentlessly until he plans to eat them, Camille arrives to save the three.  When RJ and Dom try to use the Jungle Pride and Rhino Steel megazords to stop Dai Shi, he clearly much too powerful and blasts them until they demorph.  Soon Jarrod comes to his senses after the voices in his head encourage him to join his fellow Pai Zhuq and he summons his animal spirit morph form to weaken Dai Shi.....so that Casey, Theo and Lily can finally destroy him since they're the chosen ones and all that jazz.  Yeah, about that......O_O  Seems kinda of out of no where that they are the ONLY ones who can destroy Dai Shi for good. Seriously, huh??? Not to mention, they demorph, say some kung fu philosophy and throw a combined energy ball and.....that's it! Dai Shi's gone for good and everyone celebrates!! It was THAT easy!!! I just....-_-

But like I said, the character resolutions are probably earned and still well written with Casey finally being a Pai Zhuq Master who is teaching the next generation of potential new masters, Jarrod and Camille are together and reformed, Theo FINALLY tells Lily he was to date her (Jesus! lol :)......Flint is some how back to being human again cause Camille changed him back.....YAY!??? O_O And Dom decides to leave and go backpacking around Europe....with Fran!!! Awwww, probably my favorite moment of the finale. :)  Really LOVE those two together! This was a very endearing season for the franchise despite my reservations for the anti-climatic conclusion but more on that in my overview!!! :)

Final Morph: C+