With a surprisingly fun and interesting twist on the newest monster of the day and focus on my favorite couple, “Moment of Truth” pushed itself forward as a contender as one of the best fillers in this two-part series. As many of you know I am a happy camper when there is a Calvin focus episode and it shows even more of his strengths when the episode also focuses on Hayley! This episode also had me strangely laughing at and enjoying Victor and Monty for the first time since the series started last year. Be shocked! Let’s take a look back at some of my favorite moments from this romantic episode!
Calvin and Hayley’s Anniversary: I looooved everything about the love being in the air with Calvin and Hayley during this episode. Poor Calvin having forgotten their anniversary, though you could see that coming as he is most likely late, forgetful and among other things. It was so thoughtful of Hayley to get him a “NITRO” license plate for his truck! What is great about their relationship is that you can see that during this episode was that he was extremely remorseful about forgetting and wanted to come clean and Hayley wanted to forgive him. Calvin just got caught up in too many lies.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the episode I wanted to focus on the romance and during this episode there was no absence of it! The two of them were very close, but I was sad to see that there was still no kiss and the tradition of “No one kisses on Power Rangers since Tommy and Kimberly” continues. But at least they shared so many cute moments, such as when he kissed her on the forehead.
The anniversary traditions the two share were so cute! Every year they share a mushroom, pineapple, pepperoni pizza with extra sauce from the Snack Stop! So adorable! Then when Calvin revealed his crafty calendar he created for her, marking September 24th (their anniversary, so he wouldn’t forget again) was just the best! I love them as a couple so much!
Deceptron: I was super interested in this monster of the day because he was very refreshing. Deceptron was not just simply after the Rangers’ Ninja Power Stars but he simply want to disable their powers. I had never seen a monster with this sort of power before. Deceptron fed off of the lies of not only the citizens around him (such as Victor and Monty) but of the Rangers themselves. That gave him much more power and allowed him to launch his powerful bolts into the Rangers’ Ninja Power Stars thus disabling them (or making them unfit to “lock in”).
I loved this concept because rendering the Rangers powerless while they still have their items of power seems more menacing in some way. I will also say that I loved the voice actor and the suit of this monster! I was glad to see it utilized in Super Ninja Steel!
Mick the Comedian: Mick has already proven himself to be an incredibly wise mentor and a formidable Ranger. But, he has also shown that he has an awesome sense of humor. I just had to point out how much I loved his pickle joke in this particular scene because I actually loved how much this joke landed even for this strangely cheesy era of Power Rangers we are living in!
The Lesson: Most people will most likely disagree with me here and call this part of the plot a cop out but, I don’t think so. The Rangers’ Ninja Powers Stars were relieved of the Bolts when Calvin revealed to Hayley that he had been lying the entire time about remembering their anniversary, getting her a gift and planning dinner. During this revelation he was very humble showing her how much he loved her and taking the high road to reveal the truth. In this conversation Hayley also told him that she knew he was forgetful and that it did make her sad when he lies to her. But, he told her the truth in the end and she forgave him. The TRUTH was the power that unlocked the Bolts from the Ninja Power Stars and I think that is an amazing lesson to teach the younger viewers at home. While it may not have been an “amazing” battle that unlocked them, it was something with a deeper meaning and I really liked that a lot.
Ninja Super Steel Mode: Well here we go again. The Rangers go up against a monster that does seem to be a bit stronger than other monsters they have fought and that somehow unlocks a new mode. YET, they didn’t really earn it. Was it the power of telling the truth? Was it the power of the battle on the ground they had just won? Who the hell knows, either way in the cockpit suddenly appears Super Ninja Steel Power Star. This Star unlocks a new mode with some spiky things on their armor and some fancy new paint on their helmets! LET’S SELL THOSE TOYS, BANDAI!
Either way, I was happy that Calvin got to take the lead in the Megazord this time and handle the motherf*ckin chainsaw and was the first to handle the new Ninja Super Steel Star Blaster
! It was a good time to be the Yellow Ranger!
Victor & Monty: Did Victor look cooler than a penguin’s pajamas? Maybe not!
But it was a strange episode for me be cause I actually found myself enjoying and laughing at Victor and Monty.
I was actually giggling at the scenes when Victor was trying on the glasses and then blindly tipping the recycling statue or walking into things. I laughed when he sat on the freshly painted bench or when he was thrown into the fountain. I especially laughed when he ran into Calvin and got sauce all over him with that huge sunburn and mistook him for Brody.
I wasn’t sure what was different about this plot-line for them but it actually made me laugh this time and like I said I hadn’t laughed at them like this since at least episode 1 or 2.
Mostly, I believe that this episode actually knew how to balance these two characters. They knew their time limits, they did not interfere with the plot and (to me at least) they weren’t so annoying that I couldn’t enjoy the plot.
For once, I had some good things to say about these two. Surprised?
Hey, we’re only two episodes into our 25th season of Power Rangers and so far I’m happy. I really hope we keep going on this good track! While we are still on this strange track in the Neo-Saban track where the Rangers get new armor in the cockpit for no good reason I was still happy with the pretty pretty (princess) footage! Again, I am always happy with a Calvin focus episode and when they add Hayley in it only makes the episode stronger. I was only more surpassed that I enjoyed Victor and Monty this week. If the writers can keep this up we are in good graces!
Until next week readers, xoxo.