Random Power Ranger thoughts

 They started streaming Power Rangers on Netflix. Here are my random thoughts.

Turbo: The section of Turbo before the cast change was rough. Worst string of episodes I have ever seen from the series. Things like "The Ninja Encounter" were worse. But there were circumstances behind it at least. Honestly I could not keep watching them. I ended up skipping to when the new cast takers over. Between the new cast and I think new producers (That is when Judd Lynn took over right?) the show got a shot in the arm and laid the ground work for Space. I grew to like Divatox once I realized she was a lunatic.

Chased Into Space was a great cliffhanger.

Space:It was cool to see all the old villains together again. I swear they were teasing that the Red Space Ranger was Tommy initially. Astronema was not too hot a villain at first. The Turtles crossover is the worst episode in the history of the show (at least with what I have seen.).

Around episode 8 they get it together and never look back. Great villains in Darkonda and Ecliptor. Astronema develops a good personality. A great multi part saga with the Psycho Rangers.

The only significant complaint is how the change the music halfway thru the season. I hate this half assed John Williams orchestral shit. It does not really fit the show at all. Unfortunately this is the status quo the remainder of the series.

Nothing against orchestral arrangements done well. But butt rock sounds better than butt orchestra.

Bulk and Skull were underutilized throughout the season and that comes down to being too lazy to write for them. plus they got rid of their theme music. At times it feels like the producers are ashamed to be doing Power Rangers.

But still a great season and probably best overall for consistency. The second half of season 1 is better and most of season 3 is better. But in both cases they are dragged down by bad episodes. Aside from the aforementioned Turtles crossover, Space has no truly bad episodes.

Lost Galaxy: The first eight episodes of Lost Galaxy are not good. Not truly bad but difficult to get thru. It is amusing that Furio lead the rangers to all of their power ups. Including alerting them to the existence of the Lights of Orion.

Episode 9 starts the Magna Defender Saga. Which I think is the best storyline in the history of the show. They actually killed a child. Even if it was an armored kid in a flashback who became a force ghost. For this show that is hardcore.

In a tangent I like that they figured out how to kill off characters. They just don't say dead or killed.

Defender was a great character in design, personality and background. Had a great death scene too. After the episode where Mike gained the Defender powers the show entered a slump. Mostly good episodes but little momentum until the Space crossover.

The episode when Kendrix was killed is very good. Mystical death or not, its hard to believe they killed a ranger.

The introduction of Karone (The former Astronenma)gave the show a big boost. The episode introducing the Red Galaxy armor was really strong. It was nice to see Ecliptor again. Even in a flashback. Did Karone still have super powers post Countdown (The Power Rangers In Space finale)? She seemed to hold her own fighting Trankeena.

I think the villains were a weak point for the season at times. Scorpius was very uninteresting. Furio was interesting as an incompetent general. He also had a cool death. I liked Deviot well enough. But unlike Darkonda, he had no one to play off of. Trakeena was a boring Astronema knock off until the finale, when she finally came into her own.

I think Captain Mutiny was my favorite bad guy. He came across like a bad guy from the first three seasons. Carried an air of menace without taking himself too seriously. At the same time he was not a joke character. The big problem with Turbo was every villain was Squat and Baboo. No Goldar or Scorpina in sight.

Journey's End was a great finale. The best special effects this show ever produced. Which justified the Lost Galaxy Arc using mostly Gingaman footage.Which was a great string of episodes. If only for the fight with Titansaurus.

The Lonely Hearters

This is a semi accurate representation of my apartment.

Vampire Rally the complete series

New comic

Its the Garry Shandling Show

This is a show I remember watching on Fox Sunday nights when I was a kid. Then I did not realize how off the wall it was.

The premise was Garry Shandling has a sitcom. The characters are all aware they are on a sitcom. He regularly interacts with the studio audience. Each episode he does a monologue. This stuff is out there in 2011. But it must have been insane in 1986. Closest thing I can think of to compare it to is American Dad. Which has these crazy fourth wall breaking moments while still sticking to a coherent plot. What I'm going to do here is talk about a few episodes.



In this episode Garry finds a dog. His opening monologue cracks me up. This bit about a cow resenting another cow for having a car. Its something in the delivery.

The episode seems to be about boxing. Garry and his attractive but platonic friend Nancy play Rock em Sock Em Robots as his theme song plays. And hey its Optimus Prime and Megatron.

After the theme finishes a dog walks up to his back door. Garry takes care of it til he finds the owner. What follows is something that kept me laughing. I can't go into it very much without spoiling the fun. One thing about the show is despite the premise all the characters are sincere in what they do, which makes the jokes funnier when they go past the fourth wall.

Another thing is and its a reflection of the era we live in. But the show was not mean spirited or vulgar. Not that I have a problem with vulgar. This episode has a very dirty joke that is completely clean at the same time.

I think after watching so many shows from the last few years, I expected something bad to happen to the dog. You'll know what I mean when you get to it. Instead it goes another direction and is much funnier for it.



This episode Garry is all set to go to the beach with his neighbors the Schumakers but they are mad at him. Everybody is mad at him and Garry doesn't know why. Oh the theme in this one was a great gag.

He goes to the Schumakers house and finds they are furious at how he behaved at Pete Schmakers parents anniversary party. Garry can't remember doing anything so Grant suggest having one of his stupid flashbacks.

But the flashback cuts out before he can figure anything out.

Finally the reveal of what he did. Which with the build it got needed to be big and it was. I can't say what it is. But it really made me laugh.



Now this episode really plays with the format of the show. It starts with a Shakespearean actor coming in carrying a giant #1. Garry hired him to play the role of Fate. The number is to announce which scene we are at. Garry is set to go fishing with Pete and Grant.

But his obnoxious neighbor Leonard stops by with his cousin the psychic. He makes six predictions. Five of them harmless and accurate. The last one is his friend Nancy will be scarred for life in scene 4 on her date.

Garry is concerned so he checks out the script and walks across the studio to the Diner set and meets her date. Who has an anger problem. Oh and Fate has informed him it is now Scene 2. Every time he changes sets the scene changes. So when he returned home it is Scene 3.

So Garry decides he will just stay in Scene 3 and Nancy will be safe. Fate kicks up a stink so Garry locks him in the closet. But his obnoxious Neighbor Leonard drags him to the Diner and Scene 4.

I don't want to ruin the conclusion. It was very funny and unique.

I love this show and plan on buying the DVD set very soon.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Episode 59

Yesterday I learned Netflix has every single episode of Power Rangers. Last night I watched my favorite episode of the show (and anything period) "Mighty Morphin Mutants."

It was everything I want from a Power Rangers episode. Evil rangers, Cool Goldar stuff, good fights and hot tunes. Along with Bulk and Skull.

Miss Applebee gives the class a self improvement course. Tommy wants to be less forgetful. Which is a call back to his first run where he was always forgetting his morpher and/or communicator. To cover up they did not have much ZyuRanger footage of Dragon Ranger fighting monsters.

Meanwhile Rita is fed up and decides to take out the Badges of Darkness to turn Putty Patrollers into Mutant Rangers. That's right its Evil Power Rangers.

We get a inspirational training sequence with Goldar training the six selected Putties. I imagine all sorts of Police Academy hijinks occurred. Maybe tricking Goldar into making out with Squat.

The training goes great except for Putty number 6 who Goldar destroys. Proclaiming no one to be worthy of being the red mutant ranger. So they just make a crab monster.

Tommy's memory training is going badly. Him and Kimberly get attacked by the Green and Pink mutants. Are first fight with a badass tune starts. They decide not to morph as the Mutants have the only available suits in American footage.

Tommy and Kim get their asses kicked and report to Zordan. You know Tommy had to phrase the story differently.

"So I had the Green Mutant down and was gonna finish him. Then he threw some dirt in my eye and ran away before I could kick his ass."

Rangers are on edge til Zordan contacts them. They morph and we get our secondf big fight set to to a kick ass rock theme. Its 5-4-1 again. Fight goes badly til Tommy shows up and the Mutant Green returns to fight him. Cool bit was the mutant Green having the Sword of Darkness that Tommy had in the Green with Evil mini series.

I should mention I thought they used some cool camera angles for the fight scenes. They did not do these type of battle royal type fights too often. Usually beinf 5 vs 1 monster.

So the mutants form a mutant blaster and kick the rangers ass. No covering up since Zordan saw the whole sorry situation. He gives them new weapons that look exactly like their old weapons.

They return for one last fight. The tune we get is appropriately "Fight". The Mutants form the Mutant Blaster but the Rangers beat them to the punch firing the Power Blaster and killing Mutant Yellow and Pink. Their poor pseudo female hearts unable to take the strain.

Rita makes the remaining mutants and Commander Crayfish (the previously mentioned Crab monster) grow. Rangers form Megazord and Tommy summons Dragonzord. But the Commander is a brilliant strategist and forms the Tower of Gloom technique by riding the three remaining mutants. Staying above the blasters. I don't know why they can't blast the Mutants instead. Well after getting hit with an energy beam channeled thru mutant green's dragon shield, the Rangers say "fuck this" and summon Titantus and the Ultrazord blasting the Mutant team and their crustaceans leader to paste.


Later Bulk and Skull are dressed as gentlemen as a harpsichord version of their theme plays. Only to have their prank on Miss Applebee backfire. Everyone laughs roll credits stay tuned for Eek the Cat.

Toxic Avenger music vidya