EPISODE #35 REVIEW: "HOUSE OF CARDS"
Posted by TimJohnson on
October 31, 2004 @ 1:27 AM
A very eventul episode of Power Rangers Dino Thunder to say the least. Not just with the "Dragon War" card game. Elsa and Mesogog have their identities revealed, somewhat openly. I definitely had some problems with how some things were revealed though throughout the episode.
ON TARGET
The card game element to the episode was really fun to watch, especially Dr. Oliver's quote, "Isn't that a kid's game?"
I liked how Principal Randall just revealed her identity to the entire school. It's better to just get it over with than to have a step-by-step process.
I really like Trent's thinking. He realizes how his friends over-react to him and didn't break down when the Rangers asked him what his big secret is.
OFF TARGET
I thought there were some elements to the episode that were written poorly.
Why is Conner asking Trent in the middle of a battle what his big secret is, when Tyranodrones, Elsa, and the Ruby Dragon monster are all around them! Instead of asking him what it is, Conner should have let his enemies know he thinks their bluffing or quickly told Trent they'll talk about it later, NOT waiting for a response from Trent when they're surrounded by enemies that can strike at any moment.
Why would Trent reveal to his friends that Mesogog was his father after how they reacted to when they found out he was the White Ranger? I don't think their reaction would have changed if he had told them when he first found out or later down the line.
They needed to explain WHY Dr. Anton Mercer just so happenly walks into the school, knowing full well he could turn into Mesogog at any moment. I just thought it was lazy writing. And why didn't he run out of the school, instead, to Dr. Oliver's classroom through 3 hallways? Just made no sense on my part.
STUFF TO THINK ABOUT
When Ethan found the Ruby Dragon card, why was he so shocked? Since they were his cards, wouldn't he know if he had it or not? And why did he say, "I have been looking for that card since I was kid." It's like he's never looked through his cards before!
What made Ruby Dragon get the upperhand? The Rangers were beating him very early in their first encounter?
What would have happened if Elsa put in a few powerup cards along with Ruby Dragon?
Did anyone notice that when Ethan used his Hovercraft Cycle, then Trent came in, he was back standing back with the struggling to get up?
Wow, Elsa sure had a busy day! Three fights, a revealation of her identity, a threat from Mesogog, and a threat of her own!
Wasn't it smart that Trent took his AV instead of running to the scene, like most Rangers have done?
Didn't the Tyranodrones do a lot of standing around during the battle in the forest?
Why is there still a red visor on Trent's helmet? Shouldn't it be black, since he's not evil anymore?
What was the deal with the Rangers worrying for Trent taking on Ruby Dragon by himself, when they were right there to help if he needed it!
Looks like Dr. Anton Mercer forgot to take his briefcase when he went through the invisiportal.
Wow, Kira, Conner, Ethan, and Dr. Oliver looked more TICKED than they did when they found out Trent was the White Ranger at the end of the episode.
1RANGER WEEKLY UPDATE
Posted by TimJohnson on
October 25, 2004 @ 9:06 PM
[cover story] The 10 WORST dressers in Power Rangers history
I'm no fashion expert, my daily outfit consists of either jeans or athletic shorts and one of hundreds of t-shirts I have. You just might be asking yourself how someone like me is qualified to judge who is the worst. Looking back when I was in 6th grade in 1998, if Hanson can be nominated for the Grammy Award "Record of the Year", I can at least make a mention on something I shouldn't be talking about. So anyway, here are my picks:
10. Zack: Very "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" like. Nothing wrong, but it's hilarious, since it goes with his dancing.
9. Damon: He wouldn't be on here if I knew that he did wash his mechanic outfit or that he had 100 stashed away somewhere on Terra Venture.
8. Conner: Has very funny clothing. He's too skinny to be wearing tank tops. For someone who idolizes David Beckham, his soccer uniform looks like the design was made for a soccer league with six-year olds.
7. Katie: The "strongest" female Ranger I can think of, but I think of her style as someone who is singing in a bar on Saturday nights.
6. Leo: That red velvet jacket the first episode of Lost Galaxy was atrocious, then came that black jacket for another 14 episodes. Thank goodness he switched to that nicer blue jean jacket before I lost my sanity.
5. Justin: His shirts are really...1980's looking in my view. The long sleeve-plaid shirt he wears when he morphs also looks to big on him. Oh wait, he turns big when he morphs.
4. Kelsey: What the heck is this? Is she always dressed to rock climb or roller blade?
3. Danny: He gardens with that outfit. Enough said.
2. Shane: Why do you need a number on your shirt when you skateboard? I can't believe that tank top he wore over a long-sleeve shirt in "Nowhere to Grow". Still gives me nightwares. Now that I think of it he did the same style in later episodes.
1. Carter: Someone had to be the worst. I like Carter, but the long red shirt he wears when he's not in action is really plain and dull. When he is in training, he wears a red t-shirt, basically the same as the long red shirt. Guess his style of clothing reflects his personality. At least you can't see most of the shirt when he wears the Lightspeed Rescue jacket.
Airing schedule for 10/25/04:
All Times Eastern Standard Time
ABC FAMILY
---------------
8 AM MON-SUN
8:30 AM SAT-SUN
11 AM & 11:30 AM SUN
MONDAY:_____DT#26....Disappearing Act
TUESDAY:____DT#27....Fighting Spirit
WEDNESDAY:_DT#28.....The Passion of Conner
THURSDAY:___DT#29....Isn't It Lava-ly
FRIDAY:______DT#30....Strange Relations
SATURDAY:___DT#34....Drawn Into Danger
_____________DT#35....House of Cards (NEW!)
SUNDAY:_____DT#XX.....Pre-Empted
_____________DT#XX....Pre-Empted
____________ TBA......TBA (dependent on voting)
____________ TBA......TBA (dependent on voting)
ABC KIDS
---------------
11:30 AM/12 PM SAT
(check local listings)
SATURDAY:___DT#XX.....Pre-empted for College Football
_____________DT#XX......Pre-empted for College Football
TOON DISNEY
---------------
7:30 & 8:00 PM MON-THURS & SAT
7:30 PM SUN
MONDAY:______DT#09....Beneath The Surface
TUESDAY:_____DT#10....Ocean Alert
_____________ DT#11.....White Thunder, Part I
WEDNESDAY:__DT#12...White Thunder, Part II
______________DT#13...White Thunder, Part III
THURSDAY:____DT#14...Truth and Consequences
SATURDAY:____DT#34....Drawn Into Danger
_____________ DT#XX....Pre-Empted
SUNDAY:______DT#35.....House of Cards
CANADA FAMILY CHANNEL
---------------
7 AM- SAT, 6:30 AM-7:30 AM- SUN
SATURDAY:.___NS#05.....Thunder Strangers, Part I
_____________DT#32......Thunder Storm, Part II
SUNDAY:______NS#XX....Pre-empted
_____________DT#XX......Pre-empted
You can pick Halloween themed episodes for this week's Power Picks, airing Sunday on ABC FAMILY at 11 AM EST. Most are from the first seasons of Power Rangers. They are "Life's a Masquerade", "Trick or Treat", "Monster Mash", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "It Came from Angel Grove". I really have no preference here.
ABC FAMILY was fined $500,000 for apparently airing ads for toys during TV shows that are associated with the TV show. For example, Power Ranger toys during a Power Ranger episode. Wouldn't that make sense to do that? That happened 31 times in 30-minute TV slots over a year ending in July. Nickolodeon was also fined for advertising too much during their programming. Source: Philadelphia Daily News
"Stuff" (a website in New Zealand) has an article about Power Rangers filming in Hamilton, New Zealand. The article states that the production location manager is Clayton Tiako and the show producer is Sally Campbell. There's also a mention of Power Rangers being taken off the air in New Zealand about 10 years ago after complaints of the show being too violent. Here's the article with a picture of a monster you'll probably see in the next series.
Power Rangers is listed as one of Forbes.com's "Near misses" list. Link to original article. Not sure what that means.
1RANGER WEEKLY UPDATE (INCLUDING THUNDER STORM, PART II REVIEW)
Posted by TimJohnson on
October 11, 2004 @ 7:22 AM
A very good wrap up episode to the Ninja Storm & Dino Thunder teamup. I felt like the episode could have gone longer. The first ten minutes felt like a Part II, ending with the Thunder Rangers and Cam giving the Wind Rangers their "real" powers and the last ten a Part III. Overall though, I felt a lot of prepartion was put into these two episodes and nothing felt rushed. It's really hard to criticize an episode like this (unless something really bad sticks out), when the appeal of the episode is to tell a story with two teams from different eras, that otherwise could never be done.
I liked how they followed up the finale of Ninja Storm and how the Thunder Rangers refused to go down into the abyss.
The way the Thunder Rangers and Cam tricked the Wind Rangers into taking their powers back was very clever. Only thing was that I felt I was never led to beleive the Thunders and Cam were REALLY evil when trying to trick the Wind Rangers into taking their "real" powers.
The villains had to be the best part of the episode. The writers clearly understand the concept that good forces can work together, and evil forces can't. I just smiled whenever Mesogog would talk bad about Lothor when he wasn't around. Both characters (and even the generals) played their parts well. The only way to go with Lothor was as a collectible figure in a can, simply because he can't go roaming free or back to the abyss, because he can escape again. The Mesogog/Lothor fight was also good. I can't remember the last time two villains fought since Darkonda and Ecliptor in Power Rangers In Space.
The fights were good. It was cool seeing the Wind and Dino Rangers use their inner powers. In the morphed scenes, they pulled out all the arsenal except the Zords, which is a cool thing for fans to see. I don't know if they had to give the villains any offense, but it was nice to see they weren't just "jobbers" (wrestling term for a person that gets squashed by an opponent to make them look stronger). Great use of the bikes, battlizer armor, and weapons. Tommy's moves on Zurgane were exceuted nicely. Glad to see no Zord battles. As much as they are used, I only feel there should be Zord battles in Ranger teamups if a Ranger group has a "popular" Megazord, such as an Astro Megazord or a Dragonzord.
I'm very satisfied with how Marah and Cassidy "met". They didn't need to look at each other for 10 minutes. I liked the split screen when they said, "But I am so much prettier!"
I'm glad they closed the chapter with the Ninja Storm story. It's more fitting that we don't have to wonder if the Rangers will ever rise up and use their powers again, and Lothor being stuck in a jar. We can get on with the Dino Thunder story.
STUFF TO THINK ABOUT
What did Kira mean when she said "my day just went from bad to worse"? Is she implying that she has two guys in her life (Trent and Blake) and can't pick one?
What did Cam do to make Blake go into the abyss when he clearly stated, "No way! No, there's no possibly way I'm going near that thing again!"?
Wasn't it a bad day to make a "bold" statement, and then have it come true? (Hunter saying, "I can't believe there's no one guarding it" and Conner saying he would fight the Ninja Rangers "Right here, right now")
So all this time, have people been wondering if Shane gets hyper from conusming sugar?
Why do they always have to play the opening theme song during the fights in a teamup episode?
What happened to Sensei's "hat"?
Is there a trend in teamups where a sixth Ranger (in this case fifth) shows up out of nowhere to join the fight?
Who ended up giving Cassidy Cornell and Devin press passes?
Do both Ranger teams know what happened to Lothor when they were conferring at the end?
Is Blake winning ANOTHER motocross race the fitting way to end this teamup?
Airing schedule for 10/11/04 :
ABC FAMILY
---------------
8 AM MON-SUN
8:30 AM SAT-SUN
11 AM & 11:30 AM SUN
Week of 10/11/04
MONDAY:_____DT#16....Burning At Both Ends
TUESDAY:____DT#17....The Missing Bone
WEDNESDAY:_DT#18....Bully For Ethan
THURSDAY:___DT#19....Lost & Found In Translation
FRIDAY:______DT#20....It's a Mad, Mad, Mackerel
SATURDAY:___DT#32....Thunder Storm, Part II
_____________DT#33....In Your Dreams (NEW!)
SUNDAY:_____DT#15....Leader Of The Whack
_____________DT#16....Burning At Both Ends
____________ TBA......TBA (dependent on voting)
____________ TBA......TBA (dependent on voting)
ABC KIDS
---------------
12:30 PM SAT
(check local listings)
10/16/04
SATURDAY:___DT#XX.....Pre-Empted
TOON DISNEY
---------------
7:30 & 8:00 PM MON-THURS & SAT-SUN
Week of 10/11/04
MONDAY:______DT#25....Tutenhawken's Curse
TUESDAY:_____DT#26....Disappearing Act
_____________ NS#27....Fighting Spirit
WEDNESDAY:__DT#28.....The Passion Of Conner
_____________ DT#29....Isn't It Lava-Ly
THURSDAY:____DT#30...Strange Relations
SATURDAY:____DT#32....Thunder Storm, Part II
_____________ DT#01....Day of the Dino, Part I
SUNDAY:______DT#33.....In Your Dreams
CANADA FAMILY CHANNEL
---------------
7 AM- SAT, 6:30 AM-7:30 AM- SUN
10/16/04 & 10/17/04
SATURDAY:.___NS#02.....There's No 'I' In Team
_____________DT#30......Strange Relations
SUNDAY:______NS#03....Beauty and the Beach
_____________DT#31......Thunder Storm, Part I
You can decide what's the "Ultimate Toys of 2004" by logging onto http://www.toysrus.com and casting your voice. Power Rangers is represented in several catergories:
From the press release:
Winners will be announced on "The Ultimate Toy Awards" presented by Toy Wishes Magazine in partnership with DIC Entertainment. The show, produced by Dick Clark Entertainment, will be broadcast on NBC on Saturday, December 4 at 1pm and rebroadcast on Sunday, December 5 at 7pm on PAX. This first-of-its-kind telecast will be sponsored in part by Toys "R" Us.
The full press release is available HERE.
Thoughts on "Thunder Storm, Pt. 1"
Posted by TimJohnson on
October 3, 2004 @ 3:17 AM
Finally, the teamup formula that has been used during the MMPR Productions era has been canned! No more Rangers teamed up after first sight fighting a defeated villain from the past or an unknown villain, no more episodes being ended with the Rangers getting blown to the sky, and finally, they actually made a team of Rangers BAD!
I don't know why they had that short clip of the Ninja and Dino Rangers at the end of the opening credits. Viewers probably know all the Rangers will eventually fight together, but couldn't they save that clip for later?
I'm glad that we got to see insight on most of the Ninja Storm Rangers' doings after the last episode of Ninja Storm last November. Past team-ups have done nothing to take advantage of the characters that otherwise, won't be seen again. This was opposite of the Lightspeed/Time Force teamup, where we got just about five seconds of each Ranger and what they did before being summoned to fight once again. I understand that the current series is Dino Thunder, but viewers want to see more of the Ninja Rangers since they haven't seen them (really their storyline) in awhlie.
I also liked how the Ninja Storm Rangers appeared on the show. They kept the two sides away from each other for the most part, in terms of socializing. I liked how Kira thought she recognized Blake, but couldn't quite make out who he "really" was. It makes viewers want to tune in next week to see all the Rangers interact with each other.
It just gets boring time after time to see former Rangers appear out of nowhere. It was refreshing to not be "surprised" by a former Ranger's appearance. They introduced all the significant Ninja Storm characters (if you want to count Kelly as not being on the episode then you may...) so there are no surprises, so viewers can concentrate on the actual episode, not wait to see the ____ Ranger back on the show. Was anyone dying to see Katie, Trip, and Lucas in the 2nd episode of the Wild Force/Time Force teamup? Or Damon or Kendrix on the 2nd episode of the Lost Galaxy/Lightspeed teamup? Character development was a problem with those 5, but viewers were spent a lot of interest wanting them to show up rather than engage in the actual storyline. It got predicatble seeing a group of Rangers in trouble, and then seeing some former Rangers show up out of nowhere to save the day.
It was kind of dull how the Rangers put on the "fake" Morphers and became evil. It's been played out far too many times, magic or a device making someone evil. I liked how Lothor lured the Rangers to the spot, but I would have just had Kelzaks put some magic net over them and done brainwashing.
I liked how they played off Mesogog mentioning Lothor from the beginning of the series. I was worried they would forget that mention of it. Good forces can work together, but evil forces can't, not just because they're evil, but they each have their egos that get in the way of their plan of attack.
I'm relieved that they kept Marah and Kapri together. I hope to see next week Cassidy and Marah "interact" with each other. I'll understand if it doesn't happen
I liked how Tommy Oliver told Trent to not engage in the fighting because of the risk that Mesogog would take advantage of the opportunity. Even though the episode tries to make a big focus on the Ninja Storm Rangers (and should), it will be the Dino Rangers that will be focused on after next week.
Finally, after 10 years, a Ranger brings up a plan to use the Zords to fight an opponent. I'm not saying they should do that (and they should never, it defeats the purpose for the Rangers fighting), but after all this time, you would think it would have been explained, BY NOW.
I'm really looking forward to part 2. I just hope it's not rushed like the last two team team-up, Wild Force and Time Force. I probably don't need to explain to you about what I'm looking forward to.
STUFF TO THINK ABOUT:
- Was anyone thinking that the opening scene had to deal with Dr. Oliver and an archaelogical dig?
- Will they mention Conner's half-brother next episode since he supposively went to the Wind Ninja Academy and flunked out?
- When Kira first recognized Blake at Hayley's Cyberspace, weren't you thinking she would say, "You played the voice of Kenny Yukito on that Japanese show!"
- Were you disappointed that you got to only hear one "dude" from Dustin?
- Is anyone DYING to see Cassidy and Marah on the same screen?
- Isn't it great to see that some things never change with Lothor and his nieces?
- Aren't the Wind Ninja Academy students getting tired of being captured by Lothor?
- Anyone's eyes blinded by Kapri's hair?
- Wow, wasn't that a "cool" move that Marah did to Kapri?
- When Cam told Hunter about someone else using purple ooze, weren't you hoping that Ivan Ooze would be making a return?
- When the Dino Rangers talked about "Evil Rangers", didn't they forget that Trent had been kicking their butts before and the fact that they saw Tommy's video diary that he was an evil Ranger as well?