Season 20, Episode 3: Going Viral

"Going Viral" 

Episode 3

Air Date: February 16th, 2013

I suppose on the villain end of things this episode made sense as their plan actually was pretty well done.  Vrak sends out a monster named Virox to spread a virus throughout the city as he sneezes over the citizens; turning them into Loogies.  As far as plans go, like I said it's not bad at all; forcing the rangers to have to deal with a threat they can't directly attack by finding a way to turn all these innocent people back into humans.  Of course in the middle of all of this is some character focus on Noah, who is feeling extremely insignificant next to Jake, who is so athletic and strong but he isn't. When Jake asks Noah to help him upgrade his axe (in the middle of school! O_O), suddenly Noah doesn't see the value in him; leading Jake to have to constantly play his personal mascot throughout the episode to show him how if he just believes in himself than anything is possible! Tho I find this type of lesson a bit too ambitious as no, just because you believe in yourself, anything isn't possible.  I mean, just because you want to fly, doesn't mean you will suddenly be able to fly.  I know it's a message for the kids watching, but I just find it a bit too generic and not meaningful enough in how it's presented.

The episode from there is split in two with Noah and Jake going after Virox while the other three rangers try to rattle up all of the Loogies that we humans by trying to quarantining them.  I love how they try to not fight them directly at first but suddenly they have the power to trap them in this confined four wall barrier??? I guess their morphers and trading cards allow to summon random objects like the Samurai Rangers before them??? O_o  Anyway, the majority of the episode like I said is Noah constantly second guessing himself during the fight with Virox and Jake having to remind him he can do it and brings other things to the team like his intelligence.  Tho at one point, Noah saves a random woman who delivers one of the dumbest lines I have ever heard on this show when she asks Noah, who is the Blue Ranger "if he's some kind of hero?".......ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!??? The Power Rangers are known superheroes in this universe for YEARS, not to mention have been protecting this city for last two episodes!!! WHAT??!  HOW!!?? Once again in an anniversary season too! BAH!!! -_-

Ewwww, if that wasn't annoying enough, Noah is awarded a random new zord when the rangers can't defeat the monster: The Sea Brother Zords, which can now attach to the Gosei Great Megazord to make their own new configuration.  I mean....ok, let's just hand out a new zord because Noah is learning to believe in himself, because believing in yourself instantly grants you things out of nowhere. -_- I guess this episode is suppose to be some kind of character development to Noah but it feels a bit hamfisted.  I'm not saying Noah can't have reservations of his skills as a ranger next to Jake but clearly he wouldn't be chosen to be a ranger if Gosei didn't see something in him that makes him valuable on the team.  I mean didn't he mention why he chose each of them in the very obvious plagiarism that was "Mega Mission"??? O_o  But whatever, now Noah knows he's just as capable as a fighter as Jake is and everything is all fine and hilarious at the end. Uhhhh...okkkkkk???  *Shrug*

Final Morph: C-