Season 17, Episode 3: Rain

 

"Rain"

Episode 3

Air Date: March 14th, 2009

Jesus, Dillon! Save some badass for the rest of the team will you!!! O_O O_O O_O

Summer: "But Dillon!"

Flynn: "There's hundreds of them!"

Dillon: "I know....Venjix should have sent more!"

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Has there ever been a line MORE intimidating than THAT on a kid's show??!!! That line alone makes up for having to watch Operation Overdrive....well maybe not THAT much!!! lol  Either way, "Rain" continues on nicely from the last two episode, almost feeling like the final half of a three part premiere and I'm all for it.  We get a proper introduction to the Garage as well as Dr. K's lab while also getting some in-depth detail about the ranger suits being exoskeleton enhancement armor that increases the wearer's strength and speed.  Apparently, 3 years ago, Dr. K, along with other scientists, discovered a bio nexus field with self sustaining energy that they could tap into to make such advance armor and weaponry.  Aka this is probably the ONLY explain we'll get regarding the morphing grid and it's in an entirely different universe.  Shame it takes a whole new writer/show runner to actually care about explaining long term mystery since the show's debut tho!!! Hopefully, the Hasbro era will finally give us that with apparently Dino Fury's tagline being the an alien race bringing the morphing grid to Earth during when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth but I'm seriously getting off topic.  One thing I can't help but also grin so hard about is the extremely effortless self aware humor this season that pokes fun at the utter absurdity and wackiness of the show with Dillon brushing off Dr. K's work as just "spandex", to Dr. K's extreme irritation! lol

Also, I love how Dillon has to go over a dozen training courses to be a proper candidate to be a ranger...HA!!! Could you imagine anytime before hand having to WORK toward being a Power Ranger instead of fate, the military, an ranger alum, not to mention a giant flowing head in a tube made their teams do all this just to prove they're the right choice???!  What i'm saying is, Dillon's spot in the time isn't just a hand out and while his sequence of withstanding all the obstacles is hilarious, it's refreshing to finally see this more strict way of incorporating a new member to a team. Once again, superb writing all around!!! Meanwhile, at the lair of DOOM, Venjix reveals to his generals his latest creation, Generation 9 Amphibious Attackbot.  I guess monster puns don't existence in this universe...huh??? O_O Anyway, back in Corinth, Summer and the rest of the team show Dillon more of the city as way of showing him what he's fighting for but he continues to not believe he can be a hero like them.  Summer believes he can and especially mentions how he will succeed in his own mission to remember who he is and find someone he's looking for.  After seeing the civilians of the city running from the rain at the park, Dillon suddenly tells them he'll join them...on one condition! HA! The release Ziggy from prison as he hilariously introduces himself to the rangers with such goofball, over excitable charm while Dillon tells Scott he makes great shadow puppets! Oh please, keep this clever, snappy dialogue going! :) Soon Dillon bonds with his morpher, which I like that it opens and he puts that disc thingy in it to transform while the main three rangers have flip phones they put theirs in before pressing the button to say "RPM! Get in Gear!" Also, Dillon being the black ranger maybe too on the nose in terms of the dark, brooding anti-hero personality they have for him but his suit actually looks a bit cooler than the other brightly colored rangers. Hey, not to mention, Summer being the YELLOW Ranger.....uhh huh? LOL 

Of course Ziggy can't help but hilarious ruin the moment with endless photos of him and the team as well as mentioning the spandex again!!!! Poor Ziggy, never can catch a break and his banter with Dr. K is proving to be gold already.  After showing Dillon his sleeping quarters and mentioning he doesn't sleep to Scott, he has a nightmare that night that involves him and someone with creepy looking eyes before he wakes up.  Hey, I thought he didn't dream!??! -_- Anyway, Dillon is eager for some reason to leave the city and asks Ziggy if there's a way to leave it.  Unable to stop him, Ziggy tells him there's a small window where a barrier along the city walls will be vulnerable enough for him to pass through....so he just takes Scott's car from earlier. Ha! I'm getting serious Cyclops/Wolverine rivalry between these two.  That morning as everyone discovers Dillon has left, especially with Scott's car to his shock and dumbfound tone, they have no time to find him since the Attackbot Venjix sent has finally made its way through the city's water supply to begin filling it up with toxins that will leave the city without it.  The rangers arrive morphed and immediately battle the Grinders, but the monster just leaves to head for the city's harbor to contaminate all of the water.  After defeating the Grinders, the rangers head to stop the monster but are met with the hundreds of Grinders as I mentioned earlier.  Even with their apparently individual suit powers like Flynn's time manipulation, Scott's energy burst and Summer's energy blast, their suits can't take the overwhelming numbers as they begin to get their a$$ed kicked.  Luckily, Dillon manages to get a hold of Dillon through his radio thanks to Dr. K allowing him to use her system as he hears the rangers in trouble before he can leave the city.  As the three rangers continue to get their butts kicked, Dillon soon arrives and we get our first morph for the Black Ranger.  After the aforementioned badass line of all badass lines, the three rangers call on their zords and form the High Octane Megazord to battle the Attackbot while Dillon literally slaughters a whole army of foot soldiers without much difficulty at all. Again I say...too much badass for one character!!! Even Tommy would be pissed and feeling slightly useless! Loved to see those two meet! lol Overall, "Rain" is a third home run for this stunning trio of opening episodes that continue build on the strongest dialogue of the show yet full of intensity and stakes, wonderful character dynamics, brutally awesome action and Dillon NOT caring about Scott's car as he freaks out.....MORE!!! :_)

Final Morph: A+