Another cooky, fun and entertaining entry in the Dino Charge library! I was very happy with the short introduction of the Purple Ranger and the character of Albert pulled off a great throwback to the Sentai while retaining his own original style! This episode showcases another example of what is needed to create a great Power Rangers episode; such additions as new Zord combos, original action, multiple monsters, a New Ranger AND Emotional moments from Tyler as he continues his search for his Father. Let’s take a look back at the episode!
New Zealand Premise: I was wondering how the story would handle the Rangers trip to New Zealand. Of course, Chase was more than happy to head to his home country! But, it was rather smart to include the sightings of Sledge’s pods which caused the Rangers’ trip!
….AND Chase was super excited!
New Zealand Tourists: While New Zealand has been the setting of Power Rangers since Ninja Storm (2003) and landmarks have been appearing in Power Rangers for 12 years, it was still actually fun to see the Rangers as tourists visiting some of the landmarks. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while when the Rangers had to subdue a shirtless Koda from jumping into the ocean! HA!
Also, the writers are really setting up the Christmas in New Zealand episode as Chase has mentioned going home several times, including once on the boat.
Albert Smith: I was apprehensive about how Albert would be handled given the Sentai footage is rather eccentric and his short time as a Ranger. However, watching Albert’s scenes were hilariously entertaining to me. From his wild stories about unicorn horns and big-foot tracks; the dialogue rung true when they were spoken!
Here, You can really tell how desperate Tyler is for a father-figure in his life as he immediately warmed up to Albert, treating him instantly like a mentor.
Also, did you catch Ivan’s face when Albert suddenly appeared! LOL.
The Purple Ranger: The first scenes of the Purple Ranger were very entertaining and the original footage again is very welcome in this setting. Albert’s confidence obviously played a big part in the introduction of this Ranger and only helped me like him even more as the episode took him on a courageous revelation.
Working on his own in New Zealand couldn’t have been an easy task, luckily for him there were no monster attacks until the Rangers showed up. I loved watching Albert’s courage grow as the episode went on! I will admit it was rather strange he had never heard of the World Famous Power Rangers! But it was still rather funny when he tries to morph with his Energem!
Training With Albert: He sure showed those whipper-snappers how training is done that even as an older man he left the Rangers in his dust! The training scenes were hilarious especially with how tired Ivan was after all the running around!
When Albert tells his story of obtaining the Purple Energem, you can really hear the pride in what he has created.
The Purple Energem: I really enjoyed this backstory regarding Albert’s discovery of the Purple Energem. Saving a little girl seems to be a trend with the extra Rangers that are appearing this season! But this scene cemented my favor for Albert, it almost made him cooler and more valiant in my eyes especially later when his fear takes over. The courage was there, he just had to find it.
The Morph Sequence: We got to see Albert in the morphing sequence just as we had seen Prince Phillip, in just a tiny square. Again, I loved this but I just wish we got a solo morph because I know we most likely won’t see one from Albert, or a purple until the next person takes on the suit 😉
The fight footage in this episode is brilliant especially when the Rangers play a game of kickball against the three monsters and the Royal Dino Punch!
Albert’s Confidence: When Tyler confronts Albert as he reveals that he is only a big fraud, complete with a fake eye-patch! This scene again cemented Tyler’s respect for Albert and his “daddy-issues” searching for a father-like figure which again is a trope this season!
Tyler helping Albert retain his courage to prove he is not a coward was a great moment not only for each of the characters but for everyone watching at home as well. Another successful lesson learned.
Resurrecting Monsters: As I’ve said before this will come in handy in future episodes and it again makes it easier for Sledge to collect his bounty and fill in Sentai plot holes. Plus, I can’t get enough of that wonky machine used lol. Obviously, Iceage, Stingrage & Meteor are necessary in the future 😀
Ankylo Pachy Formation: Again, with the Kyoryuger footage I was wondering how this formation would be handled. Luckily, the attacks and transformations were cut short or ran through a filter so they didn’t look so damn goofy. I am very happy with this as it actually worked in the grander scheme of things!
Plus seeing Chase in the lead of the Megazord cockpit was a thing to see for sure!
Sentai Throwback: Towards the end of the episode as Tyler and Albert attempt to make an escape! One thing I love about Dino Charge are their subtle throwbacks to the Sentai. Albert was channeling Dr. Ulshade for sure during this scene when he faked a back injury!
I just loved how Albert overcame his fear and bested the monsters!
Passing on the Energem: Another interesting scene involving Albert. I had no idea that Keeper was able to disconnect the Energem from humans. Obviously, we know where the Purple Energem goes next but it was still an interesting scene leaving us with a few more questions! I wonder if we will see Albert again?
Final Thoughts
With the introduction of the Purple Energem and Ranger I can only look forward to where Dino Charge is taking us to the end of this season and onto Dino Super Charge. So far, I am no where near disappointed with this season! I only have high hopes for what is to come next as we end this part of the series!
This episode was filled with everything that makes a successful episode, which most Dino Charge episodes do, Original Footage, New Zord combos, New Rangers, Multi Monsters and More! This formula cannot be beat in this series at least!
Although Albert is gone, I cannot wait to see where this story will go both with the addition of more Rangers but how the Villains will respond!
Another awesome episode!
Story: 9/10
Action: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
All Together: 9/10