Season 24, Episode 19: Helping Hand

"Helping Hand"

Episode 19

Air Date: November 4th, 2017

Well, I'm glad at least this episode didn't shoehorn the message of the day down our throats aka becoming a predictable mess like last episode.  I think what helps is that Sarah, whom the episode is mostly centered on, figures out the lesson on her own instead of Mick having to trick her into finding out or someone having to outright tell her.  Both her sub-plot with her equally scientific mom is balanced well enough with the monster of the week dilemma.  It's simply but well done enough where it feels mostly seamless and it is interesting to once again see where the rangers came from aka be introduced to their lives at home and meeting their parents.  It was nice and heartwarming but more importantly, didn't just feel like some random storyline to throw in to fill time but actually helped with the main plot of the rangers finding a way to power up the last piece of Ninja Steel they have for their latest battle with one of Galaxy Warrior's newest contestant trying to get his hands on the Power Stars.

I always like it when the rangers are not only challenged in battle but forced to think more strategically against the monster of the week.  This time, in the form of Forcefear, a monster who's can generate a forcefield powerful enough that none of the rangers attacks can harm him by breaking through.  Even Brody's Lion Fire Armor isn't enough to break the forcefield; forcing the rangers to retreat and come up with their next plan to defeat the monster.  In comes the Nexus Prism showing them a vision of all three megazords combining to become an ultrazord and the team begin working on making the ultimate power star that will help combine all three megazords.  As the rangers try their best to hold off Forcefear with all three megazords; luckily, Mick is able to finish the throwing star and sends it right to the rangers who form the Ninja Ultrazord.  Which is once again, a bunch of zords combined as a throne so the main Ninja Steel Megazord can just sit on it like a cockpit.  Seriously, I know I've said it before but the zord designs this season are unreal in terms of aesthetics! It just looks so bizarre and goofy but manages to work in helping them defeat the monster once and for all! :P

This episode also works in terms of plot movement, especially when setting up the season finale of the first season. So the rangers have officially ran out of Ninja Steel and need to find more if they are going to create more throwing stars to add to their arsenal.  Unfortunately, Mick tells them that Ninja Steel is rare and hard to find throughout the universe but thanks to the rangers helping by search each corner of the galaxy; manage to find an asteroid in the Milky Way galaxy that they can get new Ninja Steel from.  Too bad things only get worse when Victor and Monty use a new metal detector they built which takes all the throwing stars the rangers created away. For once, Victor and Monty aren't used much outside of just TWO scenes which ALWAYS makes an episode infinitely much better! So that helped! But also they actually help in setting up things for the finale when why getting all of the throwing stars; immediately alert Galavanax and his forces to them.  He quickly collects all of the stars while Madame Odius takes Victor and Monty as captives.  YAY!! Please torture them as much they have tortured me watching them all season!!! :) :) :)  So it looks like the rangers will have their hands full now that Galvanax has their arsenal of throwing stars at his disposal as the finale looks to be climatic or we can only hope. :)  But pretty good penultimate episode nonetheless. 

Final Morph: B-