Season 26, Episode 12: Real Steel

 

"Real Steel"

Episode 12

Air Date: October 5th, 2019

WOW! Hard to believe but Nate and Steel's bizarre sibling relationship is becoming one of the most complex and emotional overarching stories of Beast Morphers so far.  Unlike say, "Robo Knight" and his endless platitudes of protecting the environment as well as desperately trying to understand human behavior, Steel has A LOT of understanding and compassion right off the bat considering...well...he has human DNA throughout his structural make-up as well as robotic ones.  Seriously, is he human in emotions only or in other ways the show hasn't explored yet??? O_o  Anyways, while Steel is more human than most cyborgs or robots...or androids even (Sorry Mack! :P), he still has a lot to learn about humans and how they usually express themselves in ways that isn't flat out; taking time for them to open up about what's truly bothering them.  I love how once again Zoey picks up on the animosity going on between Nate and Steel....well more Nate's aggravation and animosity toward Steel to really see what is going on with him.  I really am loving the consistent characterization of Zoey; being the ranger always wanting to do the right thing and solve the problems she sees whether ranger related or human, everyday issues.  Nate's confession to Zoey is actually a really heartwarming and emotional rewarding scene; building on Nate's flaws and insecurities as well as helping Steel realize just NOT perfect his brother is despite him thinking him doing science all the time is boring.

So it turns out Steel isn't exactly the brother Nate wanted in terms of always wanting to be around him and well....never leaving him alone! WOW! Pretty heavy stuff for Power Rangers but it really does work with Nate having to overcome his serious isolation from society and being in a lab most of his life.  Unlike say....Doctor K, it's something he wanted to pursue instead of being ripped from a normal life to devoted her life to science and technology.  But still, it has taken a toll on Nate that his dreams of having a sibling manifested and Steel isn't exactly what he wanted...but doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't what he needed.  Once again, Abraham Rodriguez and Jamie Lineham as the voice of Steel do a great job in conveying both characters' sides on the matter but ultimately working it out during a fakeout moment where Steel needs to prove he's the real him as opposed to the Robotron copying him.  Real Steel! Get it!?? :P  Anyway, in terms of the main plot with the villains, it was a pretty smart move making a Robotron that can copy the forms of anything it scans.  It's always fun seeing a villain infiltrate the rangers' base, tho one wonders why Grid Battleforce couldn't detect a Robotron in the facility even if it did copy Nate and then Steel??? O_o

Also, I'm glad to see the Gigadrone detectors are still being used to great affect and the final battle was actually a great balance of Sentai footage and original footage created for the show.  I absolutely LOVED the moment when the Gigadrone copied Devon's zord and the only way for other rangers to realize which one was which was Zoey shooting at both of them until the fake one revealed itself! LOL The show has been doing pretty well with the genuine comedy being incorporated into regular scenes like zord battles or Steel facing off against the fake Nate and mistakenly call himself dumb in the process. HA!  It's always nice when this show can get a genuine laugh or two out of me.  :)  Also, it seems Blaze is working on his own now as the other villains weren't involved...hmmmmmm???  Trying to prove himself to Evox maybe!!???? Overall, "Real Steel" was a very superbly done episode that really developed both Nate and Steel as brothers as well as individuals with a nice human story that used Zoey well and got some nice comedic moments as well. :)

Final Morph: A