“Presto Change-O” brought together a confrontation from the main villains, a revelation that he may not be a strong as we or his fans think, hilarious moments as I’ve come to expect so far and we got to know Preston a little more! Let’s take a look back at some of my favorite moments and some of the problems I hope won’t continue into the future!
Preston’s Magical Lesson: Preston desperately wants to be a magician and you can see that throughout the entire episode. From his disappointment when the tricks aren’t working, to his messed up tricks with Victor and Monty and especially when he tells the story of the magician who made the bracelet appear on his wrist. It is because of these things that make him go astray when the ninja steel help real magical abilities start to appear. Points for magicking the cup from falling onto Calvin’s face and then allowing it to anyways!
But luckily he was finally able to see that the tricks weren’t working right when he was using his magic for personal gain. The Sentai footage really worked well here as they brought together the Red and Blue Rangers after the episode’s lesson was learned.
But, I was really glad we got to spend more time with Preston in this episode and actually give his character a little more depth.
Galvanax Returns to Earth: It was totally foreboding that Galvanax and his team of cronies decided to return to Earth. Brody finally confronted him and it was a great moment to see him stand up for himself against the monster who had imprisoned him. I loved when Brody summoned the other Rangers with a snap of his fingers. Even though the other Rangers were unsure what to do, he made sure they stayed strong; such a good leader attribute to show. Hilarious, when Preston said he was big “but this is ridiculous” or when Sarah said they called him the “Champ, but he looks more like a Chump”! Loved the girl power with Sarah and Hayley in that scene!
One thing that struck me the most was when Madame Odius mentioned to Galvanax that he should probably stand down because he was out of practice and the fans hate weakness if he were to be knocked down. Just how weak is Galvanax now? Hmmm.
Slogre: Slogre was an interesting monster but only from a comedic stand point. I loved when he slowed down Hayley, Calvin and Sarah because watching them speak, run away or morph in slow motion was hilarious. In fact, the slow motion morph or when they tried to communicate with Brody was probably the most hilarious part of the episode! I know I was laughing my butt off!
Dragons Eyre: It was really awesome to see Preston’s magical powers manifest! One of the best moments was watching perform the Dragons Eyre attack and giving Slogre a fiery surprise. Funnier even more was when Slogre ran off on fire only to step on Calvin on the way out of the way!
Dragon Formation Cockpit: How beautiful are these new cockpits? I love the new Power Rangers cockpits and was solely impressed with the Dragon Formation! However, there was a serious misstep here. This episode was focused on Preston, correct? Not only that but the cockpit and new Megazord formation focuses on his Zord. Hello! It’s called Dragon Formation! Therefore, why is Brody still in the center? I know not many Megazords have changed the position, but it would have been great to see the finishing attack from Preston! But, I suppose they didn’t want to spend the money to re-film a new scene for the finisher or something.
Victor and Monty: These two again did not disappoint me. As I’ve said in previous reviews a lot their comedy would not work with other actors. For some reason their slapstick seems to work with the actors and the context. A lot of the lines spoken in their first few scenes such as “Change-O more like Lame-O” or “Magic, more like Tragic.” work very well for these two.
I actually found it even more humorous when Victor pulled the “gentle kitten” from the hat and when Monty was turned into a box and then began to make tons of box jokes. Again, I can see why many would not like this brand of humor but I just really really enjoy it.
Brody’s Episode Interjection: One of Ninninger’s biggest flaws was that many of the other Rangers suffered because Takaharu (Akaninger) interjected himself into almost every focus episode that wasn’t his. Well, many would say that this happened during “Presto Change-O,” I don’t think it was too overwhelming. While there were two smaller focuses on Brody (the confrontation with Galvanax and the presentation of his father’s truck) they were small instances that didn’t take away from Preston’s focus, in my opinion. Except for that misstep with the cockpit, of course.
However, I just hope that Brody will not go the way of Takaharu and attempt to Bogart his way into everyone’s episodes and become a nuisance.
But, I did love the moment when Brody received his Father’s refurbished truck from the other Rangers, however how in the hell is Brody supposed to know how to drive? He’s been on a ship for 10 years!
“Presto Change-O” had a few rocky moments but all in all it came together to be a magical Preston focused episode that brought the team closer together as well. Ninja Steel does seem to be going the way of silly filler in the early episodes, so I am hoping for more plot focus as we head towards the introduction of the Gold Ranger in episode 8. We’ve had a few steps toward that direction with tiny tidbits mentioned on the side. Madame Odius has the Gold Power Star and Galvanax may not be as strong as we thought. Let’s hear more about that!
No New Episode Next Week! Until Episode 5!