Power Rangers RPM Overview

Power Rangers RPM: Season 17

Episode Count: 32

Air Date: March 7th, 2009-December 26th, 2009

Here we are at the end of the road of the Disney era of the show and I honestly can't believe that RPM would as well as it did back in 2009!  Once again, the franchise was seemingly cancelled, leaving the writers to do whatever the hell they wanted as Disney was just wrapping up their contract and ready to show reruns of older seasons like they had planned to after Wild Force ended in 2002.  It truly was a season that wasn't meant to happen as Jungle Fury was set to be the last of the Disney era but like previously said, that contract with Bandai forced them to make RPM so they just did it so they can finally do with the franchise as they originally intended.  Watching the show tho, you'd think the opposite!!! O_O  If seems like when the show is on the brink of cancellation is when the best writing and stories are put into it which the writers going crazy with series because it's all over and it's time to throw everything into the kitchen sink.  It's truly a shame Eddie Guezlin has never returned to the franchise since being fired as his vision for this particular incarnation of Power Rangers was the peak on just how creative and imaginative the writers could get with material so completely different from the source.  Go-Onger, the Sentai that RPM adapts, was a whimsical fantasy racing themed series with lighthearted silliness and over the top camp (Like Carranger, but not an outright parody! 0_0) and yet, RPM is a grim, gritty apocalyptic tale of Power Rangers protecting the last city on Earth from a computer virus that has already conquered the rest of the world.....even the beginning of the premiere episode, "The Road to Corinth", says three continents were decimated aka 100s of millions of people are dead! Yeah....this was without a doubt the most morbid and devastating set up for a season yet with the Earth losing to the main villain, Venjix, and the rangers being the only defense against his forces. Sooooo yeah...in terms of stakes, this was probably the highest and most terrifying of ANY season prior. Bar None! Tho, Lost Galaxy comes close and coincidentally the only other Power Rangers series that is such a drastic departure from its source material with Gingaman, being a nature themed Sentai with them fighting Pirates while LG was space odyssey themed with mystically powered rangers protecting their space colony from an evil insect empire after their super powered sabers as well as other reasons beyond that.  Not to mention, ""The Road to Corinth" as well as its corresponding 2 episodes, present one of the most intense and thought provoking world building the franchise has ever produced so far.  Immediately we are introduced to a world unlike anything we've seen with characters and fate of humanity at stake more than ANY other season before it.  100's of millions of people dead and the only surviving humans left who haven't killed or captured are left to live in the last city on Earth.  After a truly haunting and action packed intro, we jump one year and instantly have two characters who become the stars of the show for the first couple of episodes.  Since RPM begins like a completely unconventional season with the focus being primarily on the soon to be Black Ranger and second of the soon be Green Ranger, I'll start my analysis on them.

Dillon, is out Mad Max archetype character of this season.  He starts the season with his memory gone and seemingly heading to Corinth to find refuge with the last of humanity.  I have to say, Dillon, despite Summer calling him "a brooding bad boy" who is trying too hard, Dillon isn't just a stereotype.  Yes, he is a badass who can handle himself in a fight beyond regular humans, mostly because the Venjix virus that is slowly turning him into a machine.  Hmmm being able to beat the crap out of a squad of Grinders, our foot soldiers this season and various prisoners in jail, just showed he is someone who is eager to take care of himself and not giving a damn about anything else.  Tho we do see in the first string of episodes, "The Road to Corinth", "Fade to Black" and "Rain" show that Dillon clearly has a heart for people and manages to come back in time to debut as the Black Ranger to help the main trio of rangers save the city.  It's not just his budding bromance with Ziggy or his clear interest in Summer, but the fact that he has ties to humanity that keep him wondering who he failed to protect in the past.  Now while I did hate seeing the lost sister arc coming back as an exact copy and paste, it did help to continue Dillon's arc of clinging on to his humanity even despite becoming more machine everyday.  I just wish the Venjix virus storyline could have ended like Guezlin wanted as apparently the real finale was suppose to be a one off called "Ranger Black" with an even more depressing conclusion with Dillon being a plant all along and Dillon his final vessel against the rangers.  Needless to say, as much of that being too much a downer for a kid's show, it still would have been far more appreciated than what we got as "Danger and Destiny, Part 1 and 2" is hardly Dillon's story and concludes his particular one in an abrupt manner where he isn't given much to do beside saving his sister in the end. But I did enjoy his dynamic with the other characters and how it brought out the humanity out of him especially making him realize his new memories with them were far more precious than his lost ones.  From his macho rivalry with Scott, to his heated romance with Summer showing itself at various moments (the cold shower scene in "Belly of the Beast", so on the nose! lol) to his unlikely budding friendship with Ziggy.  Speaking of Ziggy, he was definitely the goofball of the team and once again, appropriately called a weasel because of his constant routine of getting into trouble.  He ends up working for the mob but ultimately shows how much heart he has in "Ranger Green" despite initially working for a crime cartel.  It's because of his altruism that lead him to become the Green Ranger and what always made Dillon his unlikely supporter all the time.  It was Ziggy who seemed to bring out the lighter side of Dillon and make him want to see the good in Ziggy as well as himself.  Of course, his tardy resolution with Fresno Bob was a bit underwhelming but it once again proved that Ziggy's heart being in the right place was always the key to him being a standout character as well as resolving his issues.  Like Dr. K said, he lack all the physical and mental attributes to be a ranger from his terrible fighting skills to his constant incompetence during the most intense scenarios, but by the end of the season, he certainly improves immensely as a fighter as well as being one of the main reasons Dr. K begins showing her humanity toward the rangers.

There were always hints that there might be something building between the two but we don't get definitive confirmation until "If Venjix Won" when the two are accidentally stuck in a cave and he manages to finally make Dr. K smile as well as find comfort in him when she's at her most vulnerable.  Their dynamic was simply sublime in terms of hilarity and development.  Tho "In or Out" did kind of stretch the whole joke of her not wanting to acknowledge him in a sincere way a bit toooo far for my liking.  To sum him up, Ziggy may have been excellent comic relief to begin with but ends up being one of the most charismatic and charming rangers of the franchise with real development. :)  Now onto our main trio of rangers! Scott was our stoic, strong minded and focused leader and given his tragic past depicted in "Ranger Red", it's hard not to see why.  Not only does he have to live in his brother, Marcus' shadow before and after his death thanks to his father, but his father is constantly ignoring or undermining Scott's role as leader of the rangers.  No matter how many times we see him prove himself, especially in the truly masterful "Heroes Among Us", Scott is always seemingly pushed aside by his father to reward someone else.  It made the ending of the episode so much more rewarding and triumphant as Scott realizes he doesn't need validation from his father to be a hero and HE decides what he deserves or not.  It made sense by the end of the season that his father would finally give him the Eagle Squad position he wanted so much as Scott didn't need to prove himself anymore even in his father's eyes.  Flynn was our Blue Ranger with a natural fixation on heroism since he was a kid back in Scotland.  Even tho his heart was always in the right place, we see in "Ranger Blue" that his desperate need to save the day got him more into trouble than anything else sadly.   It's not until the Battle for Corinth where he and his dad arrive to find refuge that his calling to be a hero is proven right when he takes a bus to save as many innocent people who are trying to get themselves to Corinth as Venjix's army quickly approach. Not only to we get a wonderful scene of his father finally seeing his son for the hero he has always wanted to be but it's no wonder he was chosen to be apart of Project Ranger by Dr. K.  Sure, we continue to see him being overzealous when it comes to his need to prove himself in "Not So Simple", but at the end of that episode, he once again shows that what he really needed was someone to have faith in him again like he did before.  I wondered why Flynn was so bothered by being called a simple mechanic but maybe it's because despite his mechanical knowledge being an asset and him also knowing his way around technology, he wants to be continued to see as something far more than average??? O_o  Then you have Summer, our lovely Yellow Ranger who we learn in the very well done "Ranger Yellow" two parter that she use to be an egotistical heiress who had complete disregard for her butler; even treating him like a peace of furniture despite her being a skilled martial artist, motorcyclist and all around athlete.  But then you realize that it all because of her parents serious negligence toward her daughter: not being there on her birthday, her having to plan her own surprise party probably for that reason and overall lack of compassion she's been shown her whole life given the stuck up lifestyle she's been surrounded by her whole life.  So of course, it takes the end of the world by Venjix for her to realize what really matters as well as see herself for who she truly is; thanks to her butler Andrews.  Someone who's been treated like crap his whole life by her family as well as Summer herself, but seeing the real hero in her enough to sacrifice himself for her to make it to Corinth!!! O_O It really set the tone for Summer's sort of redemption arc by helping those she once considered not worthy of mentioning, like how her parents are as we saw.  One wonders why it took them so long to realize to follow the same path as their daughter (cause seriously, she's been a ranger for almost a year right??? Why the sudden change of heart AFTER forcing her into a wedding she didn't want??? O_o)  Sure it was all for money since the Lansdowne's lost all of theirs but I'm pretty sure wealth and sophisticated life style would be such a priority during the freakin' apocalypse! -_- Of course, she doesn't go through anymore significant change after that besides her unwavering loyalty to her team and her overwhelming care as well as concern for Dillon.  But by season's end, you can understand why she left with him and his sister to start rebuilding the world outside of Corinth. :)

Before talking about Dr. K, I want to analyze probably one of the most unlikable aspects of the show to most fans which is Gem and Gemma, our 6th and 7th rangers aka Ranger Gold and Ranger Silver.  It's soooo unfortunate that these two are soooo misunderstood but I kind of get it.  When they were introduced, they are compulsive, explosion obsessed individuals who were borderline terrorist; wanting to destroy anything having to do with Venjix despite other innocent lives being at risk.  Also, them constantly talking in unison could be grating at times I get it.  But in "Three's A Crowd", we begin to understand why they are so reckless, especially when you think about how we first met them in "Doctor K".  Like K, they were abducted as children and forced away from society but indeed of being so disconnected and cold like Dr. K, they grew extremely dependent on each other and never grew up mentally to the point that even tho they are geniuses, they are child-like psychologically because of being denied who they are at a young age and not given time to truly develop.  But these two aren't given enough credit for being badasses, especially in their debut episodes as rangers in "Embodied" and "Ghosts" as well as the tremendous humanity they brought to Dr. K starting with "In or Out".  She finally is able to finally acknowledge the rangers as themselves and not just Series Operators, even if like I said, the ongoing Ziggy joke got tired quick.  But I also found the two more fascinating when they started growing closer to other members of the team like Gemma coming to Flynn's defense and helping him build the Road Attack Zord in "Not So Simple" or Gem going after Scott to help him save those imprisoned humans that Venjix was using to turn into Grinders.  Then there was also Summer, Gemma and Dr. K teaming up to save the city when all the men were knocked out in "The Dome Dolls" (I still don't understand the significance of that dumb plan! -_-)  While they also don't go through a lot of development, it was nice to see them chill out and not go off on their own to blow stuff up all the time but rather follow Scott's orders as their leader and working with the team more as a unit.

Next, we have the rangers' mentor, Dr. K....the best and most thought provoking character ever to feature on this show.  Sure, her initial mysterious and painfully distant methods toward the rangers was off and very insulting; as she just casually calls Ziggy in idiot and mock the others for their misunderstanding of her technology aka SPANDEX!!!  We see in the truly unfathomably profound and powerful "Doctor K" that she was stripped of her identity and innocence at a very young age, forced into captivity, lied too and having to carry the entire weight of unleashing all hell on Earth by creating Venjix as well as all she continued to lose because of it.  Even in "Ancient History" during that incredible saddening scene where she pleads with Colonel Truman about what she has done but only being able to help now just never ceases to bring tears to my eyes.  Like I said, it was also Gem and Gemma returning into her life that made her more open to treating the rangers like themselves and not just her weapons against Venjix.  It was also possibly what led to her unforeseen, if not a bit predictable interest in Ziggy.  It is clear by "If Venjix Won" that Ziggy's charm has beyond affected her in a way where his extremely friendly and personal behavior made her vulnerable enough to want to truly see him as not just a seriously flawed and annoying individual but the man with a tremendous heart like he originally told her he was.  It makes absolute sense that the series would end with them together.....not to mention, the two actors would go on to get married in real life! Tho I heard they have divorced recently as well.  Ehwwww!!! :(:(:(  While I would like to get more into the other supporting characters, Colonel Truman was decent but only there to bring Scott's personal arc forward, Corporal Hicks was just the head of his soldiers and Vasqueaz not much of just a body in the Control Base.  Sooooo.....

Onto our villains and MAN, let's start off with Venjix!!! Not only is his voice immediately terrifying and intimidating but he is probably the most successful main villain of ANY season as he has already won and only needs to conquer ONE city to truly take over the entire world.  What I really loved about Venjix as a villain was he was always a strategist by having a follow-up plan if his episodic ones didn't work.  The first half in particular was always moving at an intense, shocking pace in terms of story with Venjix constantly revealing back up plans or next phases that the rangers didn't know about to further his goal.  Like I said, there is VERY little filler this season with the main plot always taking priority and given the season's post apocalyptic narrative, you really can't be surprised.  Not to mention, even in the end, Venjix manages to survive his destruction and find refuge in Scott's morpher....seriously....I wonder if they'll ever be resolved.....;) As for his generals, Tenaya 7 was the most interesting as human female villains tend to be on this show.  She was imposing, a badass fighter and had a cheeky, sassy integrity to her that was fun to watch.  Clearly she was the most cunning and clever of his generals until that long lost sister plot point reared its ugly head and she became a faceless drone of Venjix's that was suppose to be a serious upgrade but she loses all that made her interesting and compelling.  She's like that until the very end of the season and it just Dillon's sister after that, a shame really. Killobyte was also well done...at least initially. They wonderfully set up his rivalry with Tenaya but nothing really comes of it after she captures her.  Not much in fighting this season with the villains and considering Venjix built his forces, why would he even let that happen???  The funny this is, the villains do have personalities which is weird considering Venjix could have made them mindless machines to serve him but clearly his experience with humans isn't one of just superiority.  Maybe he wanted machines to exhibit personalities like them but without flaws???  Of course, General Shifter does eventually go off and try to overthrow Venjix but it quickly, even pathetically destroyed by the rangers and General Crunch doesn't do anything until having to stop Tenaya at the very end...soooo....I mean overall, the villains were either inventive and great like Venjix or decent and typical without having further room to grow or change like his generals.  

I want to lastly talk about the show's overarching narrative as Eddie certainly was going for a season with a story that felt like one big journey instead of individual episodes.  One thing I noticed is that the first half feels so much like an ongoing plot that starts right from where the left ended while part to is more chill, comfortable with letting each episode be more self contained than before.  While not a significant difference, you can definitely see where Eddie's vision ended and Judd Lynn's involvement started if you really pay attention.  Like for one, the first half is almost completely vacant of Sentai footage outside of the zord battles while the second sees more footage being used during morphed fights.  It is clear to see why Eddie was let go for making the show go so far overbudget when the point of the series is to make cost saving measures more frequent with the use of the said footage.  There are far more original morphed fights here during the first 10-15 episodes than ANY other season and that's a major NO NO for a show like Power Rangers with a specific budget.  Not to mention, Eddie seemed so focused on his vision earlier in the season with unconventional story beats, eye opening dialogue, intense battle sequences, carefully structured backstories, etc. than later in the season where we get a show that follows the basis of previous seasons with excellent character centered episodes mixed with arc episodes that move the story forward.  But while the cohesion of the season may have been a bit jeopardized, the fact the show went through endless behind the scenes issues with show runner switches, budgetary concerns, late scripts, story rewrites, etc. the fact that the show managed to be as good as it is despite those flaws is truly a testament to how things can truly get done thanks to a dedicated crew and cast.  I would talk about the zords, but they all were decent, if not a bit too clunky.  But then again this is where the Sentai's mechas began looking more bulky than actually like humaniod giant robots.  I guess that's all that's really left to be said for the final Disney season of the show as overall, the Disney Era wasn't half bad.  Definitely MUCH better than the Neo Saban era....oh boy......Idk if I can do this anymore! lol 

Pros:

• A tremendously dark, surreal and unapologetic look into a more mature style of Power Rangers with tons of familiar post-apocalyptic elements that are entertaining and intense.
• One of the best assembled casts for a season as all the actors give stand out performances, especially an incredibly young Olivia Tennet.
• The main villains being overall decent antagonists with Venjix being the most threatening, intimidating presence as he has already seemingly won and only has one city to conquer.
• Venjix being one of the most forward thinking and strategic villain who always was two steps ahead of the rangers.
• The awesome serialization of the series with most episodes leading into the next or dealing with the main storyline with Venjix.
• Possibly the best written and executed episode of the franchise in the timelessly thought provoking "Doctor K".
• One of the best character centered episodes in "Heroes Among Us"
• The thoroughly moving, riveting and entertaining backstories for all the rangers.

Cons:

• The terribly reused ranger/lost sister plot with Dillon and Tenaya that just drags and brings nothing new to said storyline.
• The disappointing wrap up of Dillon's Venjix virus story arc.
• Turning Tenaya 7 into the MUCH MORE non-interesting Tenaya 15.
• Unnecessary episodes like "And...Action!"

Best Episodes:

1. "Doctor K"-Never has an episode of this franchise shown just how sophisticated and eloquently written Power Rangers can be when a writer is given freedom to truly explore a character and provide remarkably universal emotions like inner turmoil and tragic regret.  That's all I'm gonna say on this one....just show it to non-Power Rangers viewers ASAP! :_(
2. "Heroes Among Us"-This episode really encompasses some of the best character development ever displayed during a season of this show as Scott sets out to prove himself to his extremely rigid father to only prove to himself something far more special and rewarding. Wow! :_)
3. "Belly of the Beast"-One of the real offensive episodes where the rangers alongside Corinth's forces go after one of Venjix's strongholds to beat him before he can unleash an potentially unstoppable new weapon. Full of great action, intense drama as well as a doomsday weapon being turned into a giant flying whale zord....oh priceless!!! :)
4. "The Road to Corinth"/"Fade To Black"-I'm kind of cheating here with locking up these two episodes for the 4th best of the season but I have never seen a more near flawless premiere followed by an equal fantastic episode that picks up right where it left off.  The introduction to this post-apocalyptic Ranger series couldn't have been done better than this!
5. "Rain"-Capping off the incredibly laid out series of premiere episodes is Dillon's almost legendary debut as the Black Ranger with once again, some impeccable dialogue, wonderfully executed action and epic one liners. Seriously, "Venjix should have sent more!" STILL gives me chills! O_O

Worst Episodes:

1. "Control-Alt-Delete"-Like I said, the pinnacle of the Andros/Astronema redux as it feels insulting to long term fans and the story in this episode is disappointing by making General Shifter look like a worthless solo villain and the episode rushes through Sentai footage for reasons unknown. Sigh....
2. "And...Action!"-Honestly, "And...Action!" isn't horrible, it's just an unnecessary consequence of Eddie Guezlin's exit from the series and Judd Lynn having to save the budget of the season because of it.  Would have made a great extra but it's just bizarre and pointless if not entertaining at times none the less.
3. "Prisoners"-An episode that feels it literally goes around in circles with some head scratching moments like Gem and Gemma coming in and out of the story when they're suppose to be on a mission. Just felt like terrible pacing just to extend to the next episode where things actually progress wonderfully!
4. "Beyond A Doubt"-Like I said, the lost sister search retread is tiresome once it starts following the exact same beats as the one from In Space.  Even the episode ends on a very dowry note with Tenaya recapture and clearly going to be reprogrammed....like....you know!!! -_-
5. "The Dome Dolls"-This extremely forced girl power half hour is just redundant and seems to want to hit you over the head with its message instead of being an actual awesome story about the female characters put into a position to save the day in a genuinely tension filled way. Oh well...Kilobyte's intro was great despite the misogyny angle to get the plot rolling.

"As Disney's final season with the franchise, new head show runner Eddie Guezlin and soon to be second half show runner, the returning Judd "Chip" Lynn, do overall astonishingly polished work with some of the most professionally written episodes of the series with an excellently realized, if well known, post-apocalyptic story tropes that put a team of truly daring and diverse cast of characters with bold backstories that inventively break new ground for the show for both young and especially older audiences.  While the series has some weak aspects like any other season with storylines that are rewritten exactly like previous and characters regressing because of such, the satirical dialogue that pokes fun at the ranger lore harder than every before mixed with the terrific comedy and the outlandish silliness the show is known for makes for one of the franchise's most successful in quality and innovation that has yet to be topped!" :)

Season Verdict: A-