Season 22, Episode 2: Past, Present and Fusion

"Past, Present and Fusion"

Episode 2

Air Date: February 14th, 2014

Like I said, "Powers from the Past" only seemed like the first half of the premiere as "Past, Present and Fusion" picks up directly where the last episode ended by continuing to introduce the show to viewers.  We are soon introduced to yet another new ranger in Riley, a farm boy with a serious passion for sword fighting when his brother discovers him fencing again in the barn.  After telling him to stop fooling around and clean the pig pens, he runs after his dong Rubik, who he discovers close by in the woods about to be attacked by Fury! Seriously!??? A dog Fury! O_O Already the most evil villain of the show yet! :P But luckily, Riley is resourceful and brave by quickly protecting his dog with some steel bar he use to fight off Fury.  Seriously, what's with the inanimate objects being used to fend off energy blasts on this show so far!?? LOL O_O But Riley's skills, prove to be more than a match for Fury until send blasts send him flying, especially the steel bar in a boulder that reveals the green energem.  But before Fury can get it, the energem turns the bar into a Dino Saber (Ummm awesome! :) as Riley delivers a bada$$ one liner before continuing his fight with Fury.  Ummmm, who choreographed this fight cause amazing!  I also love how each time the rangers pick up their energem for the first time, they get a vision of their dino spirit.  After fending off Fury and making his way back home with Rubik, Riley decides to go into town and find out more about his energem???  Seems like he's moving but where is he exactly moving too??? O_o

Meanwhile, Tyler and Shelby continue questioning their new power source while running into Riley who's motorbike has broke down.  After his pride is blown just like his map to the city, Tyler also gives him a ride until they run into a distraught woman who's man is caught underneath a car.  What follows is a shocking scene of all three trying to push the car off the man but their energems giving them enough power to through that think like 30 feet in the air before it explodes.  Ummmmm....I'm more concerned about how the guy ended up under the car and is barely without injuries!?!?!? :P  Anyway, after arriving at the museum that Tyler strangely forgets he was just at (WTF!?), the three follow Chase and Koda to the back before they disappear.  After Tyler's very shallow selfie moment, they discover a secret passage way (in a Dinosaur statue's mouth no less!) to an underground base where they discover other energems as theirs magnetically connect to a console alongside them.  Soon Keeper just teleports out of nowhere and to the rangers' fear as well as disbelief, tells them his story about the energems and how they came to be on Earth but now needing their help to find the rest before ending up in wrong hands.  Soon Chase, Koda and Ms. Morgan reveal themselves as being apart of a team to track down the rest of the energems as Koda and Chase have both bonded with their blue and black energems respectively.

Tho the next scene is quit puzzling if not giving us some obvious animosity from Ms. Morgan about Shelby's involvement in all this.  How she knew why Tyler and Riley bonded to their energems but it quick to write off Shelby is beyond messed up.  Not to mention, in the next scene when Shelby is hesitant about joining the team, Ms. Morgan makes another yet uncalled for comment by saying the mission might be too much for a waitress.  What in the Real Housewives of Power Rangers!!??? Jesus Christ! O_O lmao  Luckily, Shelby relents and sticks up for herself, especially with her extensive knowledge of dinosaurs and the team goes out to check on a disturbance....except for Tyler, who's energem is unstable....for the moment.  Meanwhile the other rangers check out the disturbance as it turns out a volcano is erupting and that T-Rex zord is being unleashed from it.  Hmmmm last time we saw it, it was charging through Tyler an Shelby to throw that monster named Ice Age but whatever! Keeper and Ms. Morgan tell him that's why his energem is unstable; leading to him going into the city to face off against Ice Age and the Vivix, who apparently can form together to make Vivizords: Even more hideous giant creatures.  Luckily Tyler arrives and use his energem to control his T-Rex zord (he adorably names Rexy!) and uses his Dino chargers to morph into the Red Ranger.  The official morph sequence isn't bad at all tho I find it hilarious in retrospect how fans are saying the morph call in the current Dino Fury is too long when Dino Charge's morph call is like 5 phrases before the actual morph begins.  LOL But I do love the dinosaur head they fire out of their gun that bites them and turns into their suit as well as helmet a second bite.

Tyler, of course, is all excitable over being a ranger and engages the monster by fighting off the Vivix as well as sending Rexy to destroy the Vivizords.  Soon the rest of the team arrives and we get another hilarious moment of Shelby trying to morph but Koda having to correct her.  Once again, the morphing is cool even if the Dino Charge suits have always been a bit too wacky and whimsical to me.  The design is pretty basic, especially with the drawn dinoheads on the yellow pattern that goes across their chest.  Either way, the first fight is awesome with the full team is awesome....even if they spend most of the time punning while fighting.  Sigh....it beats the Samurai and Megaforce teams' battle commentary by MILES but it's just a little distracting from the action is all I'm saying. After Tyler finishes off Ice Age with a combined final strike with his megazord, the rangers return to the base where Keeper is very weary and reveals that the monster that attacked wasn't from Fury but from Sledge, who must have returned! The last shot is of Sledge preparing his cells of collected bounties to wage a war against the rangers for the energems.  Once again, pretty superb throughout.  A bit jttery and awkward in some places but feels like the most authentic season in Power Rangers in so long.  Actual characters with backstories and arcs??? An actual story being told with a mentor who seems to be more than just special effects??? Animosity between characters already!? Dino Charge, bless you! A great premiere overall. :)

Final Moprh: A-