WHEN IS A RANGER NOT A RANGER? (Part III): Super Megaforce and the Power Rangers in 2014

“It’s strange; there seems to be a hidden door of light.” – Billy Cranston

Welcome to the third and final part of WIARNAR (still a better name than Super Megaforce).  I’ve been on hiatus working with the Oxford dictionary committee to make sure that the word ‘twerk’ made it into the most recent edition, so basically, I’m that guy.  Now, let me start this whole thing by saying that I’ve been struggling to finish this article; there’s been a lot of stuff happening in Power Rangers leading up to the end of the first season, the constant allure of current Sentai, and the leading-up to Super Megaforce, and it’s been a very grueling task to endure and analyze where Power Rangers stands thus far.  We in the fandom are, as always, polarized between loving it and hating it, and in my opinion, I feel like there’s balance in all things.  I’m not a hippie or a Buddhist, but from my own observations of life in general, there is simply equalization in nature.

I’ve also recently discovered that opinion is a fickle thing; many of us have them, but only handfuls are able to craft them from preference to science, or rather, in the transition from “I like this,” to “This is why I like this,”.  We often become lost in the way we believe things and wind up mucking into each other with exchanges of absolutely nothing, things fabricated by chemicals in our brain that create experiences or evoke emotions that then sway our consciousness to make a decision.  Our decisions form our opinions, and regardless if they’re about television shows or political issues or 9mm vs .45 ACP as a defensive handgun cartridge, they are then coated in a part of our primal nature; if we made the wrong decisions as cavemen, it could have meant the end of your life, or your dinosaur tribe or stonemason’s club, or some other horrible fate.  For someone to rebuke our opinions, then, is to deny that we have the ability to cognitively decide something with accuracy and truth, and then (LORD HELP US) we decide that we have to defend that stance.

I’ve recently discovered these things and been able to break them down during some interactions in forums and viewing differing opinions.  Now, I’m absolutely sure that I’m equally guilty of spewing opinions without evidence in my previous articles, and definitely elsewhere online, so I’m gonna attempt to talk about Power Rangers with some facts and notate things that I have noticed so as to let you, the read-ee, decide what to think instead of letting me tell you what the fuck is up.

So, Megaforce.  As mentioned, fans have noticed that it has had some ups and downs, and I’ll admit that there’s probably no one else that hates these first 20 episodes as much as I do; I’ve given it a lot of hate, but it’s time to flip the cup and talk about why it works, especially in the continuation of Super Megaforce.  Since we’re also at the cusp of the syndicated premiere of Super Megaforce, let’s get down to it and do some I-Spy review:

Originality
Power Rangers, no matter who is running it, is always at its best when it strays away from the Sentai material.  Sometimes, the concepts work well in the transition (Lightspeed Rescue, Ninja Storm) and sometimes not (Turbo, but that’s debatable), but usually the biggest successes in the series can be found in the most original ventures (RPM, In Space, the original MMPR).  Megaforce has already shied so far away from Goseiger that we should all be glad that their original protocol of ripping Shinkenger directly did not carry over to this series.  Goseiger was strange to my likely-deluded American perspective, and the angel theme itself would have stirred a pot or two within the super-sensitive American audience.  No, this isn’t the first show to be about high-schoolers kicking butts, but it shows that there’s been at least some desire to depart from the source material, even if it’s to celebrate MMPR.

Villains
I’ll give this to Saban: the villains are always cool, and I really enjoyed seeing them wreak havoc every episode.  Generally, I think the villains in PR have always been pretty strongly portrayed and consistently appear dangerous; this is probably due to the Sentai adaptations, but I can say easily that there’s never been a villain I didn’t like or could invest in the danger of.  Vrak and his goons are no different, even when they’re picking on hot dog vendors that may or may not deserve the hurt these dudes are dishing out.

Characters
Before you call ‘bullshit’, let’s just think about the characters that came into our lives in the last 20 episodes: Ernie 2 (by God, he ain’t MY Ernie), Mr. Burley, the bullies, the wanna-be Ranger, and even all the one-shots had a place within how I view the show.  The supporting cast may not be as strong as the days of Richie and Shawn, but their presence paints an interesting backdrop behind the so metimes-lackluster characters; this backdrop is then immediately thrust into a siege-type situation in Super Megaforce, and characters like Ernie are then seen with dirt (let’s be real: ashes) on their face and forced into survival situations that only the Power Rangers can overcome.  However, I’ll admit that I’m a bit ahead of myself, but the point is that paying attention to these characters in Megaforce provides that strong sense of community that the show usually delivers.

That’s pretty much it.  It ain’t much, but I feel like it’s worth sharing, and I’d rather talk about what I like as far as what it has established instead of bitching about how Troy can’t seem to enunciate anything the way any human being does or how the dialogue is just kind of descriptive of what’s going on, so here’s my next point: despite my butthurt over Megaforce, I really liked the first episode of Super Megaforce, which is available at nick.com.  I mean, I REALLY liked it; it made me excited and gave me all kinds of nerd goosebumps.  I was physically writhing and fully invested and happy-crying, and here’s why:

Story
The story is evolving, thanks to many elements, but I think in part due to the Ranger keys.  We’ve seen the characters toil and tumble around for 20 episodes doing nothing particularly significant, but it feels like they have now we have officially entered the PR universe.  Any asshole with a robotic assistant can say that Zordon is their mentor, but to finally whip out the entire franchise’s arsenal puts the show in a new place.  Once they start getting into episodes covering the previous seasons (such as the RPM or Jungle Fury tribute episodes), I think we’ll see a big development in the previously cardboard-like personalities of the current Rangers.  Plus, we’ve still got those mysterious Dairangers; personally, I think that these factors are leading to a very watchable season, and the idea that the presence of the entire catalog of Rangers is a focal point should excite even the most casual of us.  Plus, with Troy now in single-emo-tear resolution to find Robo Knight, what does that mean for his inclusion in the story in the future?

Ultra Super Mega Legendary Hero WAR
The Mega War is now a climactic point in the story, and we will see the heroes continue to falter, struggle, and eventually fail to the point of veteran intervention.  The process has the potential for an interesting build-up (or downfall) leading to the finale, which is meant to be the high water mark for fans; we’ve already seen the Rangers and the citizens of Harwood City (located in Harwood County, y’all) are being pushed to the limit by an exhaustingly massive enemy force, and the only solution is to unleash the entirety of the Power Rangers on the enemy over the course of the rest of the show.  Of course, this is all thanks to Gokaiger, but doggone it, the idea of the conflict as a plot point is exciting to take into account.  Of course, this may not entirely be a focus for the show, but those of us able to dilute why we like Power Rangers, this kind of element is why I’ve always been interested in the show (though it just may be my inner military history nerd wanting attention) and why images such as the command center framed in black smokestacks resonate with me.

Gokaiger
I’ve expressed before that Super Sentai and Gokaiger do not equal Power Rangers and Super Megaforce, but seeing as we’re getting the Gokaiger footage and concepts in our beloved Power Rangers, I am going to start off with the opinion that Gokaiger was really, really cool.  I didn’t enjoy Goseiger a whole bunch (I know many of you did, let’s not start fistfights here), and I think a lot of my Megaforce discomfort came from having to watch Goseiger again.  Now that we’re in the Gokaiger footage, it’s come as a big relief and makes the show feel fun again for me; whereas Megaforce was tedious and necessary (you know, because I’m such a big-shot social scientist/philosopher poet in the PR fandom and I make so much bank off these articles), Super Megaforce is easier to watch and provided an interesting virgin experience going into the second half of the story.  By ‘virgin experience’, I mean that watching the first episode after literally years of wondering how the Gokaiger footage would be adapted provided a pleasant experience in witnessing how Saban is handling one of the most beloved Sentai seasons technically.  The utilization of the previous morphing calls tugs away at our nostalgia nuts in the best way; it’s easy to say that all of these things probably blind us older fans, but if we’re enjoying it, then why give a shit about why we shouldn’t?

Unexpected Originality
The Gokaiger suits being used as a power-up to the Goseiger suits instead of being used as the next generation of Ranger tech is surprisingly refreshing; when it was first leaked that the Megaforce Rangers were fighting alongside Gokai Silver, I thought it wasn’t going to function well, but dadgummit, seeing it in action just renders the whole idea as really neat in my mind.  For those of us (yeah, me too) that have been complaining about Saban’s creative teams not bringing any uniqueness since they got it back have nothing to complain about anymore.  Some may not like it, but it’s a brand new dynamic that hasn’t ever been done in Power Rangers before, and I think it fits well within the parameters of what has already been established in Megaforce.

So, where does that leave us?  Basically, it’s okay to like something or not like something; just don’t be a dick, because, among other things, that’ll kill the fandom.  Enjoy Super Megaforce for what it is, because this is the moment that many of us have been waiting literally years to enjoy in the firstplace; the next 19 episodes are meant to honor the Power Rangers franchise as a whole and to acknowledge the legacy behind Megaforce, to look at the heroes we’ve kept close to our hearts from childhood through juvenility and into adulthood and recognize it as important in some way.  After viewing the first episode, one could almost say that the history of the franchise is so strong that it’s picking up even this perceived ‘darkest hour’ of production quality.  We should watch Super Megaforce with an open mind because the heroes we have loved for 20 years are being put up on display for all of television to see, an official declaration that this legacy is significant in some way and the specificities of the show’s history have some honorable place.  The only thing more fan-centric is Morphicon, so the least we can do is watch the show.

The purpose of this series of articles, “When Is A Ranger Not A Ranger?”, has been my own introspective journey over the Megaforce airing timeline that reflects how much I’ve personally needed concrete things to recognize as an adult fan of Power Rangers, what to think about it, and possible options to continue participating in as it has moved forward.  Here is what I’ve recognized:
1) It’s okay to not like Megaforce because there are many reasons not to.
2) It’s okay to like Megaforce because there are many reasons to, and people shouldn’t be jerks about disliking it.
3) Other fans want to see it evolve and are actually doing stuff about it; the fan film genre is growing outside of MMPR with the production of Zordon Of Eltar and other smaller projects.  This is a priority to support because they will provide content we want that honors the things we love while blowing our minds with new ideas.  Shoot, support ALL independent tokusatsu; currently, check out Battle Hero Absolute, Gun Caliber, Exo Hero Exceed, Super Task Force One, and Supernova Cyber Knights in addition to all of the indie PR joints.
4) Saban is full of surprises, whether intentionally or not, so we can put some faith in the Gokaiger concept being adapted.  Therefore, it’s okay to not like Megaforce but to be REALLY into Super Megaforce.
5) Like whatever you want; if you like something, what else matters?
6) Have an opinion, but don’t be a dick.

Now that I’ve cranked this freaking article that’s plagued me for a couple of months, we’ve got MMPR fan film coverage leading up to the release of the much-anticipated Blue Ranger episode; there’ll be plenty of content that hits here first, so stay tuned, y’all.  I’m also gonna try to do more of the psychological reviews (I’m thinking Jen’s up next) and other fun stuff, like a special article about my theory that Troy is a homeless orphan and some Sentai-centric philosophizing; let me know in the comments what kind of content you want from the Ranger Philosopher, and make sure to write on our facebook page that I’m handsome and cool.

Until next time: have courage and press on regardless.