Season 23, Episode 4: A Date With Danger

"A Date With Danger"

Episode 4

Air Date: February 20th, 2016

You know I'm all for new villain introductions, especially when Heckyl has been such a treasure this season as the new main villain and his dynamic with Snide is something quite new to the series with both of them trying to outdo each other with their plans against the rangers while sharing the same body. But I have to say for such an awesome introduction like Singe in terms of his design, personality as well as his very smooth, sinister voice......the rangers don't exactly treat this new threat with the kind of urgency that it needs.  One wonders how Singe found out about Heckyl's offer to rule the universe together by getting an energem when it was only Sledge's forces who are after it at the moment instead of any current monsters out there in the galaxy but of course, there is more to Singe's arrival as Snide's new general that meets the eye.  Hmmmm, Snide, Singe, Fury, etc. Lot of one name villains on this show! :P  Like I said tho, Singe looks awesome and I love his first battle with Tyler and Chase that leaves them so overwhelmed by how powerful he is.  His "last blaster" that can literally shoot through concrete is beyond bada$$ and even when the other rangers arrive, he just decides to take off because of a headache instead of being able to easily finish them right there.  Hmmmmm headaches huh?? Is it the Rita kind or Xandred sitting on his a$$ kind??? O_o  Also, I enjoy that Singe is bringing with him more infighting among the villain as he quickly wins Snide's favoritism; leading him and Fury to clash, especially when Singe insults him so harshly during a ranger fight.  Can't blame anyone tho, Fury may have been the most proactive villain last season but his reputation for taking 65 million years to get even one energem is definitely the kind of thing to get ridiculed about. LOL

Meanwhile, Chase gets some focus this week and must learn to be less of a self involved narcissist who can't seem to stop impressing girls about himself instead of actually getting to know them and being interested in what they want.  The irony of Haylee being so turned off by Chase's obsessive adoration for well...himself but falling in love with the Black Ranger's selfless heroism is definitely an interesting, hilarious twist.  I definitely has shades of the classic superhero dual identity issue that sometimes happens in the comics when a love interest is so enamored by the hero yet thinks nothing of his civilian persona/secret identity.  Tho it makes me wonder why is it such a issue for Chase to keep his identity as secret when in this show, the villains ALWAYS know who the rangers' identities are?!!?? -_- It makes absolutely no sense when their loved ones are already in danger because the villains know who they are; making Keeper's advice this episode kind of pointless.  I mean in Lightspeed Rescue and RPM, the rangers' identities were public knowledge (the end of the world not withstanding! O_o) with no need to keep it a secret and managing to save the day all the time without it being a serious endangerment to the people close them either or! BAH! -_-  

Also, we get some serious plot movement when it comes to Tyler's father's disappearance when he receives a letter from one of his father's old friends during the expedition where he went missing.  His name is Rusty and Tyler learn that both of them were searching through a cave when began collapsing.  It seems his father saved Rusty's life but got caught in the cave, never to be seen again and not knowing if he survived. Rusty also seems suspiciously interested in Tyler's energem...hmmmm....tho I STILL don't understand why they need to take them with them outside of their base but whatever! -_- Anyway, through being around Kaylee as the black ranger, he manages to actually learn how to care about her by getting to finally know her and when her life is in danger when Singe captures her to lure Chase to him, he valiant steps in as Chase, NOT the black ranger to save her.  Now that felt much more natural to the plot and by the end, Chase realizes he can show that side of himself and get the girl while Kaylee finally sees that Chase can be so much more than his looks and trophies. :P Overall, "A Date with Danger" (Yet another reused episode title! :P) is a great episode overall in bringing in a new general to be a force to be reckoned with by the rangers as well as a nice spotlight on Chase to be him a bit less of an attention seeking womanizer in terms of character development. LOL

Final Morph: B+