Power Rangers Samurai Episode Commentary #11

Episode 11: Test of the Leader

Written by: David Schneider and Samuel P. McLean

Directed by: Jonathan Brough

Xandred’s finally decided to tackle the Red Ranger and Spike develops a crush on the Pink Ranger. It’s all action in this week’s episode. Will we learn more about the sealing spell used to imprison Master Xandred? Will Bulk and Spike have some actual interaction with the Rangers? Will this review be better than the rather weak ones that have preceded it? For the answers to these questions and more read on!

For a change we kick off with Master Xandred and his crew. Octoroo has been worrying about what Deker said a few episodes back. Deker did seem a tad surprised that Xandred wasn’t being a bit more active in his pursuit of the Red Ranger and he’s not the only one as I’m sure anyone who read my review of that episode will have realised I was very surprised too. Octoroo has been doing his research and he’s discovered that the power to seal Xandred lies with the Samurai Shiba family headed by the Red Ranger (yeah Jayden sure looks like a Shiba). So at last Xandred finally decides it’s time to take action against the Red Ranger about bloody time. What genius scheme has he got? Oh he’s sending Mooger’s the grunts the Rangers defeat every single week. Way to bring your A game Xandred ya putz.

Post credits and we’re kicking off with Bulk and Spike. The Power Rangers are in this episode right? For a couple of guys that don’t appear to have jobs they spend a lot of time shopping or at the arcade. Anyway our hapless heroes have run into rampaging Moogers. They may not have the skills of Samurai warriors but they certainly have the heart. Bulk and Spike stand their ground and prepare to fight the Moogers armed only with bread sticks and an umbrella. Those brave souls truly know no fear. Well for about five seconds before they scarper in fear. Ah well. Just as things look the bleakest for Bulk and Spike the Rangers arrive to save the day. Mia leaps to the aid of Spike and he appears to  be quite smitten with the Pink Ranger. Like father like son I guess.

There are little Moogers and giant Moogers so the team has been split in two. Mia and Emily deal with the runts whilst the boys crack out the recently acquired Samurai Battlewing. The Battlewing certainly proves it’s worth by taking down those giant Moogers pretty quickly allowing the boys to rejoin the girls for a good old fashioned Mooger beat down. But these Moogers aren’t giving up easy they just keep coming and coming. Just what the fudge is going on? These Moogers are only interested in one thing and that thing is Jayden! The Red Ranger has built up a pretty good team and they are all willing to stand by his side and try and protect him from this Mooger attack. Jayden’s wanted to try out a new symbol combo for a while and decides to leave Emily completely defenceless by taking her sword. It works out though and the Moogers are dealt with. Once the battle is complete talk turns to Captain Half-Arsed I mean Master Xandred. They all seem to be a bit surprised to discover he’s back. Who the hell do you think has been sending all these damn Nighloks to fight you? Geez! Back down with Xandred and co it appears only Octoroo actually cares about what’s going on with the Rangers. Seriously these guys are the worst villains ever. They deserve every single defeat.

Bulk’s hamming it up old school as he proudly displays his “injuries” from his first Samurai battle. Spike’s applying bandages and I’m pretty sure we can all see where this is going. Spike’s fantasising face is something I can live without seeing ever again but I was right Bulk’s all bandaged up like a mummy. Back at Ranger HQ and the team are about to learn one of Jayden’s secrets. There’s a secret symbol that the last Red Ranger used to seal Xandred away with. Queue a flash back sequence to that fateful battle. We see the previous Samurai Rangers getting hacked and slashed by Xandred’s forces (these Rangers look slightly Japanese as they de-morph…). Basically we get to see Xandred sealed away but we do learn that only Jayden has the power to defeat Xandred once and for all. Only downside is it takes unbelievable symbol power to achieve even Jayden’s father couldn’t get it quite right! Octoroo has realised this and he’s picked a new Monster of the Week to take on Jayden. This week’s Nighlok is Robtish who for some unknown reason has a Scottish accent.

The revelations about Jayden’s ability to use his symbol power to seal away Captain Half-Arsed once and for all has got the Rangers talking. They’ve now decided that it’s their mission to protect Jayden above all else something he’s not particularly keen on. It’s a burden to him realising just how far his team will go to protect him and it’s a burden he doesn’t want to carry. He gets quite forceful with them reminding them they’re a team and they need to look out for themselves. Before things can get too heated the Nighlok sensor goes off and the Rangers have to head out to meet their latest foe. Robtish reveals to Jayden and the gang that Xandred is aware of the Red Rangers abilities and challenges him to a duel. Kevin doesn’t want Jayden getting involved in this kind of battle but Jayden ain’t sitting this one out. Jayden duels Robtish as the rest of the Rangers battle the Moogers. Oh look Deker’s popped by to watch the action. Things aren’t look good for Jayden. With the aid of his double slash Robtish has floored and disarmed the Red Ranger. He’s about to try the move again when Kevin and Emily bravely jump in front and take the brunt of the attack. Jayden is devastated to be responsible for his friends getting hurt. Just as he’s about to deal with Mike and Mia Deker intervenes and starts kicking everyone’s arse. This leads to a rather exciting three way duel between the Red Ranger, Deker and Robtish. It’s rather fun watching the three of them battle so fiercely and Jayden proves himself to be quite the warrior despite going down so easily earlier. Luckily for him Robtish is all dried out and is forced to depart.

With Robtish gone it’s time for the main event. Deker versus Jayden. Unfortunately the battle against Robtish has left Jayden weakened and it’s all about the battle for Deker so he postpones their duel. I am rather looking forward to these two finally getting down to a proper battle I’m sure it’ll make very entertaining viewing. As for now Deker gives Jayden a flash of his human form and his beard before departing once again. The battle has left Kevin and Emily in a bad way and it’s quite clearly distressing Jayden who blames himself. As the rest of the team recover at HQ Jayden departs into the dark of the night refusing to put his friends at risk again. This is his fight and he needs to do it his way. So ends the episode and we’re left with all new questions to answer  but they’ll have to wait until next time dear reader.

Next time: The story continues in Jayden’s Challenge

Pics from the PRS Gateway as always

Power Rangers Samurai Episode Commentary #10

Episode 10: Forest for the Trees

Written by: Jill Donnellan and Seth Walther

Directed by: Jonathan Brough

It’s a Mike focused episode this time round and as far as I’m concerned that’s a good thing. We’ve even got a whole new Megazord to enjoy! Will Jayden pick the right Ranger for the job of piloting the Beetle Zord? Will Mike learn some valuable life lessons? Is there such thing as too many zords? Will Bulk have a return to form and get squirted in the face? Will this be the last time I ponder over such a query? For the answer to these questions and more read on dear reader read on!

The Rangers have recovered three of the long lost power disks and that means they’ve got an all new power to employ in their battle against the Nighloks. Yes combined the Beetle, the Tiger and the Swordfish form the Samurai Battlewing. I’m sure it’s awesome. Bit of an odd combination to be honest. In nature you don’t often see Tigers and Swordfish hanging out. But who am I to criticise? Also, in Ji’s book it’s referred to as the Beetle Wing Zord. A bit of miscommunication going on there somewhere methinks. Jayden and Ji need to pick the team to pilot this new Megazord. Jayden will officially be in charge of the Tiger Zord, and there’s only one choice when it comes to the Swordfish (Kevin of course- he caught it himself I’m sure you recall). But who will they choose to pilot of the Beetle Zord? Mike right? No! They’ve only chosen Mia, completely rocking Mike’s confidence completely. Mike’s pretty pissed and I don’t blame him.

Post credits, Mike’s pouring his frustration into spinning his sword and jumping around, erm... I mean Samurai training, which is very complex and a lot more than jumping around. Kevin’s eating sushi as we try and keep up the whole Japanese charade. Whilst eating sushi the other Rangers discuss Mike. They’ve noticed Mike’s been trying harder and even Ji believes he has the potential but must learn to listen. Guess what this episode is going to be about? Mike’s having flashbacks to Jayden and Kevin using their special disks and he’s still surprised they didn’t pick him but it’s given him the motivation to work harder and we all need a bit of motivation now and then.

It’s monster of the week time. This time it’s Desperaino who has some sort of despair power so the name is as subtle as you can get with Power Rangers. He makes some magic sad rain which makes a lot of people with funny accents (is this Japan, America or New Zealand? Make your mind up guys) very sad. Mike makes a joke at Kevin’s expense which seems to really hit home. Now you know me, I don’t like to criticise, but sometimes I’m left with little choice. What this episode is basically saying is that this whole time Master Xandred has had a Nighlok who can do the very thing needed to flood the Sanzu River. Why the heck didn’t you send this guy first? In fact why not send all the useless Nighloks to distract the Rangers whilst Desperaino depresses the hell out of the rest of the world? You know what Xandred, you deserve to lose, you’re just terrible. Anyway it’s time for the Rangers (who actually do the best they can take note Xandred) to battle Desperaino. Kevin decides it’s time to whip out the disks, but before Mia gets chance to use the Beetle disk it's shot out of her hand. Mike catches the disk and decides to use it himself. This leads to an argument with his team mates and gives the nasty Nighlok chance to escape. Mike attempts to use the disk but it won’t work. Damnit Mike why couldn’t you just accept you’re not ready for this yet?

Back at Ranger HQ, Mike’s getting a telling off from Ji. Ji’s disappointed and so am I. Mike is stripped of his role as the Green Samurai Ranger as a punishment for his poor judgement. Mike retaliates by using his symbol power to capture Ji’s stick. He then storms off and we’re left a Ranger short for when that pesky Nighlok returns. Kevin, Emily and Mia discuss the argument and Kevin is outraged when Mia suggests that Ji was acting as childish as Mike. Mia believes Mike has the symbol power to pilot the Beetle Zord and that perhaps Ji made the wrong decision in handing her the disk. Inside, Jayden and Ji are about to swap roles as the student becomes the teacher and Jayden explains that Mike needs a different kind of training.

Mike’s at the arcade playing some kind of beat ‘em up with a bear. He’s regretting his actions. Ah well we don’t want to focus too much on the storyline right now, let’s get some comic relief. That’s right Bulk and Spike are at the arcade too. Is there any chance Bulk’s about to get a face full of goop? It seems unlikely. Bulk is continuing Spike’s samurai training with a spot of Dance Dance Revolution. It teaches you such things as team work and balance apparently. I’m pretty sure it’s just an excuse to get Spike jumping around all manic like and it’s not long before the young scamp gets too excited and smacks Bulk right in the face. Spookily Mike walks right passed them like they’re actually in the same show! This is where we learn that mentor is a biker as he pulls up on his hog to pick up Mike for a bit of bonding and emotional growth. Then it’s Spike’s turn to feel the pain as he runs into a road sign. Oh you guys are crazy.

We’re off to Xandred’s ship for more cringe worthy dialogue amongst monsters. Looks like Octoroo is doing a bit of research on the Red Ranger and Deker. Why? Well he’s only teasing us for now but he feels they’ve overlooked something very important. Deker himself is spending quality time with his sword (snigger) once again. It’s good to see Deker and his beard again but it’s a shame he’s not a bit more involved in the action. He seems to have decided upon Jayden for the most epic duel of all time he’s just waiting for the right time and place. The season finale perhaps? Elsewhere, Ji has taken Mike to the forest to help him connect with his powers in a more impressive manner. Most importantly Ji returns Mike’s Samurizer! Lessons are being learned here people. Mike and Ji have found a new respect for each other and Mike even teaches him one of those cool handshakes the kids use these days.

Deker loves his sword

The rest of the Rangers are taking on the Nighlok and not having much luck. He’s flying now and no one can hit him. What a dick. Luckily Mike’s turned up to save the day. With Ji’s words still fresh in his mind Mike can now use the true power of the forest to kick some arse. Mike uses some pretty impressive pole vaulting skills to get himself airborne, which allows him to deliver the killer blow to Mr. Makes People Sad. And we all know what that means…

It’s time for some Megazording. Out come the shoulder pads of Mega Mode and we’re ready for battle once again. Only one problem; this Nighlok can fly and the Megazord is no good against an airborne attack. If only the Rangers had some sort of flying zord combination they could use… Oh wait they do! That’s right it’s time to try out the new Samurai Battlewing and Mia has decided to let Mike use the Beetle disk. That means this is a boys only affair as Kevin, Jayden and Mike pilot the new flying Megazord. Luckily there’s still room for the other Megazord to have a shot at taking down this villain and in the end the beasty is no match for two Megazords. Victory is theirs once again. Back at HQ Mike and Ji cement their new friendly relationship with Mike giving Ji a very special plant that Mike can manipulate into make cool hand gestures. I guess we’ve all learned a lot from this episode. I guess the main thing I’ve learned is that Bulk isn’t going to get squirted in the face anymore. Until next time dear readers…

Next time: Test of the Leader

Images from the Samurai Power Rangers Gateway

Power Rangers Samurai Episode Commentary #9

Episode 9: I've Got a Spell on Blue

Written by: David Schneider and Jill Donnellan

Directed by: Peter Salmon

There’s a lot going on this week. The pesky Nighloks are up to all sorts of mischief. They’ve possessed Kevin and have taken control of the long lost Tiger Zord! Can the Rangers save Kevin? Can they retrieve the Tiger Zord? Will there be any acting so bad that I can bring back the Kevin’s Dad scale? Will Bulk get squirted in the face? Will I ever give up starting each review by questioning whether Bulk will get squirted in the face? Does it actually matter if Bulk gets squirted in the face? For the answers to these questions and more read on!

We kick off with a duel between the Rangers Red and Blue. Yes Jayden and Kevin are suited up and clanging swords in the garden. Mike’s impressed and rightfully so, it’s quite a battle. These two warriors are evenly matched and the people of Earth are lucky that they’re on the same side. Mike’s impressed with one of the warriors “mad skills” and Ji instantly assumes he means Jayden. But he doesn’t; he’s talking about the one and only Kevin. Everyone’s impressed with Kevin’s skills, with Emily noting his gracefulness with a sword (snigger) and even Mia’s impressed with his technique. Everyone loves Kevin. Except Ji, who is totally obsessed with Jayden. I think he’s a little jealous of people preferring Kevin to his own protégé. He does concede that both the boys are excellent swordsmen. The Rangers wonder what would happen if the two ever had to battle for real. But that could never happen could it? *SPOILER WARNING* That’s exactly what does happen this episode!

Deker’s hanging out with Master Xandred. The two don’t get out apparently. Deker’s out to get Jayden and he’s just checking Xandred has no issues with him doing that. Apparently he couldn’t care less as he has nothing planned for the Red Ranger. This surprises Deker, and me quite frankly. Xandred is a really half arsed villain. It’s like he doesn’t even care about succeeding in his plans to flood the Sanzu River. He has no plans to deal with the Red Ranger? He’s the gosh darn leader of your sworn enemies why wouldn’t you be planning to kick his arse? Seriously Xandred get with the programme! You’re embarrassing yourself and the rest of the Nighloks. Following Deker’s departure we get to meet the monster of the week and this time it’s the rather irritating Madimot. Madimot has a surprise for Xandred. It’s only a bloomin’ Tiger Zord! The Red Ranger’s long lost Tiger Zord in fact and I imagine he’s gonna want it back.

What are Bulk and Spike up to this week? Well they’re out hiking in the woods with Spike worried about bears, while Bulk is more worried about mosquitoes. He sprays some bug spray into the air, only for it to be blown straight back in his face. Now I’m a bit conflicted can I add another to the Bulk getting squirted in the face tally? Does it really count? I’m not sure it does so I won’t be whipping out the Bulk tally. Unfortunately Bulk and Spike are about to run into the monster of the week and he isn’t fooled by their attempts to play dead. Luckily the Rangers are there to take on the increasingly camp villain. He’s not taking the Rangers on alone though, he’s summoned the Tiger Zord to help him. Turns out the camp bastard saved the Tiger Zord when Master Xandred was sealed away all those years ago. Madimot then uses his powers of possession against the Rangers. Kevin rather selflessly saves Mike by pushing him out of the way of one of these attacks. Unfortunately he takes the full brunt of the force of it. Kevin is now under Nighlok control! He’s ordered to take on the rest of the Rangers and that’s what he does. The others are reluctant to fight against their friend. Jayden’s dealing with Madimot and his symbol power is too much for Madimot’s mind control powers. Kevin has made light work of the rest of the Rangers and this forces them into a retreat for now.

Back at HQ Ji tells the Rangers it won’t be easy to break the monster’s spell on Kevin and the Tiger Zord, but it can’t be that hard as there’s less than fifteen minutes left. He warns Jayden that there may be tough choices ahead. Back on Xandred’s ship, Octoroo is worrying about the mysterious Deker. Deker does seem to be a little bit obsessed with his sword, typical man eh? Apparently Deker isn’t a normal Nighlok he’s got a very human side! Even more shocking than that is that he’s played by Wild Force’s own jolly Red Ranger Cole Evans a.k.a. actor Ricardo Medina Jnr. (credited here as Rick Medina because he’s grownup and has a beard now).

Rick back in his Wild Force days

Rick and his beard presumably also called Rick

Kevin and the monster of the week are off causing trouble in the human world and Jayden has gone to face them, much to the anger of Mike. Ji tells him to have faith in his leader. Jayden is trying to break the spell on Kevin with no success so far. The other Rangers arrive and offer to help but he refuses to endanger anyone else. Looks like the Red and Blue Rangers are gonna have to duel. It’s hard to believe just how impossible that seemed to us at the beginning of the episode. As the duel rages on Deker turns up- Guy really needs to get a hobby if you ask me. But he’s there to tell the Rangers that Jayden is winning the fight because Kevin is too honourable a warrior and is fighting like they’re in a martial arts competition. Kevin’s out to score points but Jayden is out to win. Luckily Jayden’s winning blow is enough to finally break the Nighlok’s spell. Deker feels Jayden is the right opponent for his sword (snigger) although quite who he’s saying this to I have no idea.

Now the Rangers are reunited it’s time to suit up and take down this camp Nighlok and retrieve the Tiger Zord. Jayden’s whipped out his folding zord and the rest of the Rangers are dealing with Madimot. The duel of the zords isn’t that exciting and the Tiger Zord looks a bit silly with its legs outstretched as it rolls along. Jayden succeeds in breaking the Nighlok’s spell so all is well. The rest of the Ranger team up to take down the monster of the week and make light work of him and we all know what that means…

The Tiger Zord does make me laugh. It looks so silly, but in a good way. Jayden’s quick to use his recently reacquired zord to take on the Nighlok. The rest of the Rangers decide to join in the fun, so out comes the Megazord and we all know what a new zord means. That’s right, it’s time for a new jaunty new hat for the giant robot. How well does it wear the Tiger Zord hat? Pretty well to be fair. There’s only one way this battle can end, especially when it comes down to a battle between the Nighlok’s shield and the Megazord’s tiger drill. One last cry of “I’m the baddest of the bad,” by the irritating Madimot before he’s defeated once and for all. Back at Ranger HQ Kevin’s feeling guilty about falling victim to the Nighlok’s evil spell. He can’t believe he raised his sword against a fellow Samurai, but Jayden being the great leader he is makes him feel better about the whole thing. We leave our brave heroes playing a zord based board game. As they say the Power Rangers that play together stay together. Until next time dear readers au revoir!

Next time: Forest for the Trees

Photos as ever taken from the Samurai Power Rangers Gateway

Power Rangers Samurai Episode Commentary #8

Episode 8: There Go the Brides

Written by: Jill Donnellan and Jonathan Rosenthal

Directed by: Peter Salmon

Nighloks are kidnapping brides on their wedding days and the Samurai Rangers are the only ones that can stop it happening! Why are the Nighloks kidnapping brides? How many terrible wedding based puns can the writers squeeze in? Will Bulk get squirted in the face again? Are the Rangers really smart enough to come up with the scheme that leads them to victory? To find the answers to these questions and more read on!

Just what the fudge is going on? We kick off in a church with Mia about to marry Jayden?!?! They’re apparently not popular as they’re only joined by the gang from Samurai HQ (Emily looks lovely but Ji has made no effort to dress up at all). It’s obviously quite an emotional ceremony as there’s a tear in Ji’s eye and even Kevin is crying like a little girl. Mike’s not impressed. I am though, it’s nice to see a man who isn’t afraid to show his emotions. Brave Kevin- bravo! Mike’s really not feeling it. Elsewhere the Moogers are out and about and heading to a church. Could it be the same church the Rangers are in? Apparently not. They’ve snatched another bride. Ji’s just got a call to let him know. Looks like this was all a plot to capture those pesky Moogers, but it hasn’t worked! Damnit! The Moogers are taking their kidnapped bride off to some dark dimension passing Bulk and Spike who are training in the park.

Back at HQ we learn that five brides have been kidnapped, and Mike’s spotted a pattern. The places these brides have been snatched from form a star on a map. Kevin’s impressed and wonders if Mike has undertaken any sort of police training but he hasn’t, he just watches a lot of cop shows. We do, however, learn that humans can’t survive long in the Sanzu River. No one knows what’s going on and there are so many weddings, making their fake wedding seem less appealing to the Moogers. Jayden has an idea though and I’m sure it’ll be a corker but we don’t find out what it is just yet. We do find out who’s been responsible for snatching these brides; it’s only bloomin’ Dayu! It’s all about tears filling the Sanzu River. These Nighloks have one thing on their mind. Dayu’s making a wedding dress for herself apparently; I guess even monsters want to feel loved. According to Master Xandred, Dayu’s soul is in pain. Awwww, now I feel bad! She’s not a monster, she has a soul! Perhaps there’s some sort of tragic back story we’re not currently aware of… Octoroo has been looking through gaps and on one occasion he saw the mysterious Deker, the cursed warrior, the Nighlok who was watching the Rangers with much interest in the last episode. Deker is looking for a worthy opponent in battle and he seems to have decided it’ll be a Samurai Ranger.

Jayden’s been warning everyone that getting married ain’t a good idea at the moment. All weddings in town have been cancelled with one exception, and that’s the wedding our heroes need to hijack. Looks like Mia will be playing the bride again. The plan is that Mia gets kidnapped and then she can contact the rest of the Rangers with the locations of the missing brides. Elsewhere Dayu is raging that she once wore a wedding dress and had her happiness ripped away from her, and now she’s punishing these human women for it. That’s really not the attitude you should have is it? It shows a real lack of personal growth. You can’t blame others for your own problems kids, it gets you nowhere in life. Anyway she’s sending the Mooger off to get another bride to help flood the Sanzu River. Luckily the Rangers have got there first and they’re pulling a good old fashioned switcheroo! They’ve ruined this wedding but at least it’s for a good cause. Apparently the crowd don’t really care who’s getting married as no one mentions how the bride’s changed race and the groom looks like he’s been carved from wood. The important thing is that the Moogers have arrived and they’ve taken Mia. I was very disappointed to see that the Moogers were using a wheel chair to transport her. There’s some poor disabled person out there who is stuck because of these selfish monsters. I hope they’re very ashamed of themselves. They pass Bulk and Spike on the way and Bulk says what we’re thinking. There really have been a lot of weddings recently.

Jayden’s convinced their plan has succeeded but he maybe a bit too confident on this occasion. Mia, for some reason, feels the need to explain just who Dayu is because we’re all really thick apparently. Anyway Dayu is well aware of who Mia is. The Nighloks have been watching the Rangers (a bit creepy). The Nighloks have also managed to snatch the real bride. But that means the Rangers have been foiled! To make things even worse Dayu is forcing Mia to lead the Rangers into a trap. Oh my god things are just so awful! How on earth will our heroes survive this encounter? The Rangers are heading to an ambush! They’ve been captured! There’s a bomb! It’s gone off! It’s all over. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Dayu is about to finish Mia off and bring an end to the Samurai Rangers when something amazing happens. The Rangers aren’t dead! They’ve arrived in the nick of time to save Mia. To be fair to him Jayden looks pretty good in a suit. But how is this possible? We quite clearly saw the Rangers go into a warehouse and get blown up. Good lord when they pulled the old switcheroo earlier they actually managed to squeeze in another one and switched Emily with the real bride. It’s great that Emily gets a go at playing the bride, and quite a stunning bride she makes, but what about the warehouse? Apparently the Rangers can create doubles of themselves using symbol powers and had the intelligence to make a double of Emily too. Now I’m not being funny, but when I watched the Shinkenger original I believed they could come up with such a clever scheme. But when I think of the Samurai Rangers I just see…

So yeah it’s kinda hard to believe they’d be able to come up with something like this. But they did and who am I to complain? And Emily looks incredibly hot in a wedding dress carrying a sword, which probably says all sorts of things about me. Anyway it’s time to suit up and kick some Nighlok bottom. It’s time for a Mooger battle! Moogers are like ants at a picnic apparently. After the Moogers the Rangers have to deal with Dayu, who is apparently quite a tough opponent. She makes light work of Kevin and Mia and only united do the Rangers stand a chance against her. They’re just about to defeat her with the five disc beetle canon when Deker jumps in and saves her. He’s chosen Jayden as opponent for the ultimate duel. But today is not the day for such things and Deker escapes with Dayu before summoning giant Moogers. I guess that means I don’t really need to use my traditional “Make my monster grow” picture and it looks like Bulk won’t be getting squirted in the face. Way to mess with the formula writers! The Megazord’s out and he’s wearing his Beetle hat today. But the Beetle hat ain’t no good against this giant Moogers so it’s time to switch to the Swordfish hat instead. He’s got a sword attached to his head. I’m afraid to say this makes me laugh far too much. Yes I can be immature at times. I apologise. It’s not the most exciting Megazord battle but it gets the job done and the Moogers are defeated.

Bulk and Spike are in the bakery, teasing me with the hope that Bulk might get hit in the face with some sort of gooey delight. But no such luck. The Rangers are in a reflective mood. Mia is focusing on Dayu and her motivations for her behaviour and Jayden’s thinking about Deker and the duel that awaits him. The Rangers are heading to the bakery too and we get a very rare on screen meeting of the Rangers and Bulk and Spike! Ah well that’s it for another episode of Power Rangers Samurai. Sorry this is possibly the weakest review of the series so far.

Next time: I’ve Got A Spell On Blue

Photos as ever taken from the Samurai Power Rangers Gateway

Power Rangers Samurai Episode Commentary #7

Episode 7: A Fish Out of Water

Written by: David Schneider and James W. Bates

Directed by: Peter Salmon

Good news guys! It’s a Kevin focused episode! That’s right, everyone’s favourite Ranger gets a whole episode to shine. And even better, there’s another new zord being introduced! Can’t you just hear the kerching of the cash register as the toy makers grind out another action figure? We also get the first sight of a mysterious new villain! All this excitement in just one episode? How will I cope? Well let’s find out!

Its breakfast time at the Ranger HQ and Mike is teasing our beloved Kev again. This time it’s about eating his breakfast the Samurai way. Mia’s trying to get the gang to eat a peanut butter and jelly omelette which looks and sounds delicious, but no one’s interested. Perhaps Mia should stop wasting money on ingredients and spend a bit more on acting lessons. Oh yes I went there people! Luckily for us this is not an episode about Mia’s cooking. It’s about the long-time-missing Swordfish zord. Having watched most of the episodes of Samurai that have aired now I feel I need to say something. These Samurais are awfully careless with their possessions; they’ve lost this zord, broken that one and given away the other one. You know guys, if you’d look after all your possessions you could probably have created some sort of super ultra mega zord in the first episode and squashed the Nighlok threat in 5 minutes. Anyway Ji lets the Rangers know someone has spotted the Swordfish zord just as the gang are alerted to the arrival of another Nighlok. Jayden decides to entrust Kevin with a solo mission to retrieve the Swordfish zord whilst the rest of the gang take on the Nighlok. What a treat we’re in for!

This week’s Nighlok is a smelly chap called Yamiror. He’s up to the usual standard of villainy and has more cringe-worthy dialogue than the romantic scenes in Attack of the Clones. Elsewhere, Kevin’s off down the beach and it sure looks wet. If only his dad could see him now, he muses. I’m sure his dad would be very proud to see his son becoming a glorified fisherman. Makes all those years of Samurai training seem worthwhile. You know what? I think this scene calls for a flashback with my other favourite character. That’s right Kevin’s Dad is back in action! Unfortunately it’s just a clip from last time, but it’s always good to see an amazing acting performance on TV. Kevin lets us know this is what all the training has been for. Ya gotta admire his enthusiasm. I get the feeling Jayden could send Kevin out to get the team pizza and he’d believe it was crucial Samurai work if it was called a solo mission. Anyway Kev refuses to go back without the Swordfish zord. So he’s going fishin’ the old fashioned way with a rod and everything. He’s using a disk as bait, but he’s not having much luck catching the pesky robofish. Don’t give up Kev you’ve still got fifteen minutes to succeed!

Time for some light relief. Bulk and Spike are also spending the day at the beach, obviously not the same bit of beach as Kevin, and both are having trouble. Spike’s gone and got himself stuck in some sort of flotation device and Bulk can’t decide what kind of sand castle to make. Not really sure what purpose this scene serves but after it we’re back with the Rangers.

I do love a Nighlok that speaks in rhyme- it really doesn’t annoy the hell out of me. The Nighlok smells; they really drive that point home. It could only have been more obvious if his name was Dave Stinkerton from Smellytown. According to Octoroo, the monster of the week was created when some toxic waste was struck by lightning. Quite the origin story for such an irritating gimp. They should make Xandred do a bit more. He’s not really been that exciting a villain so far and he lacks the personality of a Lord Zedd or Lothor.

Kevin’s still trying to catch that darn Swordfish zord. Can he find the right symbol power? Boy I sure hope so. I can imagine a swordfish zord will come in very useful at some point in the not too distant future. Kevin’s using so much symbol power it’s wearing him out, and he doesn’t have the strength to carry on. He passes out and wakes up in a mysterious tent. He’s been rescued by a mysterious fisherman and unlike in Shinkenger it’s just a random guy hanging out by the beach fishing. I doubt he’s had a recent CRB check so we just have to hope he hasn’t done anything to Kevin whilst he was out cold. The mysterious fisherman just doesn’t get how important catching the Swordfish zord is, perhaps a call from Ji will demonstrate just how important this task is. But Ji has some tragic news. The Rangers have been poisoned! And even worse their fevers are nearly impossible to recover from. Come on Ji there must be a solution! There just has to be, I mean if there isn’t this is going to be a very short season. Luckily for us- and the Rangers- the Swordfish zord could solve all our problems. But Kevin better be quick because the gap sensor is going off and our fiendish Nighlok is on the rampage again. Jayden, being the dedicated legend he is, refuses to rest whilst there’s a Nighlok on the rampage. He gives Kevin a quick pep talk explaining he was chosen for this mission because of his “commitment and discipline” and he knows that Kevin can overcome any obstacle. So Kev’s been inspired and Jayden’s off to kick some butt. Awesome!

Jayden takes on the Nighlok alone, saving a mother and child before they get a face full of smog from the beasty. Elsewhere Kevin is giving the fishing his all and refuses to give in. Luckily he’s not alone. The mysterious fisherman is there to aid him in his quest to land that prize. The fisherman can’t quite understand why Kevin is so determined to capture the Swordfish (although he doesn’t appear to realise it’s a zord) but he respects what he’s trying to do and he’s there to help out. Jayden’s still fighting despite his weakened state. It’s not looking good. Yamiror has hit him so hard his Ranger suit fell off! Back at the beach and Kevin still hasn’t given up. The tension of swapping from one scene to the other is killing me! Kevin is focusing on finding the right symbol to snare this fish and by jove I think he’s finally found it! With some moral support from the mysterious fisherman (perhaps my second favourite guest star of the season after Kevin’s Dad) he might just succeed. He’s done it! He’s gone a shiny new blue disk and he’s left the mysterious fisherman completely confused as to what’s just happened.

What the hell is going on here?

The Mysterious Fisherman

Jayden is on his last legs and thinks are looking grim. He’s about to be defeated… but then the other Rangers arrive to save him! But wait! Now they’re all in danger! But then Kevin arrives and saves them all and even manages to come out with the cheesiest line of the season: “Did someone order the fish?”, classic.

Jayden was very happy to see Kevin.

The team are reunited at last and, with the purifying rain from the Swordfish zord, the Rangers are cured and the Nighlok’s powers are now useless. Every suits up and gets ready to kick some monster butt! Kevin weakens the beast with his water attack before Jayden whips out the fire smasher and Kevin uses the new Swordfish disk with it. It’s the 5 disk swordfish canon! Radical. That’s the first form down so you know what that means!

It’s Megazord time baby! This battle won’t be easy, as the Nighlok is creating some fog. Luckily Kevin has an idea. That’s right! The Swordfish zord. “Have a taste of my flying fish,” he taunts. 'Stinky Pants' is going down, as the new Swordfish zord will combine with the Megazord, forming a jaunty new hat that’ll come in very useful for crushing Nighloks. Well they’re gonna use twin blade mode and a Swordfish torpedo to take this jive turkey down once and for all. The battle is won and the Rangers are triumphant once again. But who is that mysterious Nighlok watching the battle? I’m sure we’ll find out very soon!

Back at the beach, Spike is about to make a splash and that splash is going right in the face of Bulk. Oh yes people we can finally bring back the Bulk getting squirted in the face tally after 2 episode break! They’ve been messing with us. Making us worry it wouldn’t happen again, but then BOOYA right in the face! It’s fitting that in an episode where Kevin really was the star he gets to finish up with a positive life lesson and some cheesy lines. It wasn't just his training that helped Kevin succeed; to truly succeed you need to believe in yourself and that’s a lesson we can all do with learning.

Number of times Bulk has been squirted in the face this season: 4

So the results are in and we’ve learned nothing at all. Yes last time I asked you whether you thought Samurais wore boxers, briefs or nothing at all and we had a three way tie. So we’re no closer to an answer than we were before. Perhaps if any real Samurais are reading you can drop me an e-mail at zordonofeltar@hotmail.co.uk and let me know what is the situation in your pants. Whilst writing this review I got a tweet from Kevin himself how awesome is that?

Next time: There Goes the Brides

Most pictures taken from the Samurai Power Rangers Gateway