What's in my Queue?- Weeks 8 and 9

Trying a new biweekly structure for this series, so let's see all the stuff I collectively binged in the last 2 weeks.


Scream- Season 1:

Getting ready for the Season 2 premiere this week, I went back and binged the first season of Scream. Since Scream is my favorite horror movie franchise, you can imagine how nervous I was when this show aired. Made in the shadow of other shows like Pretty Little Liars and Teen Wolf, the amount of meta humor used in turning a slasher movie into a television show is actually quite compelling. The acting isn't ever top notch, but the story hooks you in by giving you characters you surprisingly care about. Then, when they're killed off, it hurts you. I think that might actually be a quote verbatim from the show, talk about meta. Scream always had me guessing who the killer (or killers?) was and I can't wait to see how the story continues in Season 2.

Orange is the New Black- Seasons 1 and 2:

My wife and I have also decided to get ready for Season 4 of Orange is the New Black by watching the previous seasons. The first two seasons are amazing character studies that gave a lot of grey area between groups of female prisoners, the guards that are supposed to uphold the law, and the dysfunctional family and friends that await them outside the gates. I'll go on record and say the least compelling character is the main character (god, Piper is just so frustrating and annoying that words can't do it justice). You really grow to love a lot of the side characters and learn a lot about each of them through their backstories. An easy recommendation from me if you're looking for a show to binge on Netflix, and truly one of the strongest examples of how great their original programming is.

That '70s Show- Season 2:

Now that we know our favorite characters in Point Place, we can grow their arcs throughout this season. Eric and Donna's relationship, Kelso cheating on Jackie with Laurie, Jackie trying to figure out whether she has feelings for Fez, Bob and Midge's marital problems, Red trying to find a job, and the introduction of Leo. That's all here and it ties into some hilarious episodes. Just to name a few, there's the episode where they try to get into a nightclub, the Halloween episode where they're all at odds with each other in the abandoned school, Eric getting suspended for smoking, and a lot more. Getting through That '70s Show is really easy for me at this point because of how much I love the characters and the chemistry between the cast members.

Sons of Anarchy- Seasons 1 and 2:

I took a trip to Charming the last few weeks to visit some of my favorite Sons. Obvious puns aside, Sons of Anarchy was a show I used to disregard when it was in its prime. It was thanks to my college roommate that I discovered the show and once I started watching, I couldn't put it down. I missed the last season and a half, so I decided to go back and watch the whole series so I can have a fresher mind for the story and characters when I try to go back to seasons 6 and 7. I really love the combination of Seasons 1 and 2. The first season acts as an opportunity to get used to the characters thanks to a season that is essentially through a number of filler episodes. Once you know these characters, you can take them through Season 2, which opens the door for character growth and season-long story arcs. There's moments where Sons of Anarchy went a little out there for my taste, but the first 2 seasons are virtually perfect and a wonderful introduction to one of my favorite shows.

3rd Rock from the Sun- Season 3:

I feel like 3rd Rock from the Sun took a huge step backwards with this season. After the 2-part season opener, we're back to where we were all the way back in Season 1. Dick and Mary are broken up and at odds with each other, which really isn't something I wanted to see again. You already know Dick is going to win her over again, so what's the point? Wouldn't the season been more interesting if she discovers they're aliens and has to get used to that throughout the season, not to mention keeping it a secret and covering for them when they act stranger than usual. Something tells me when I go through a binge marathon of this season, Season 3 will be one of the ones I heavily skip. But hopefully, it gets better from here.

The Office- Season 3:

The Gay Witch Hunt, Prison Mike, Pretzel Day, the arrival of Andy Bernard, the continuing saga of Jim and Pam, and the confusing relationship that develops between Michael and Jan. All of these fan favorite moments occur in Season 3, which I think can be marked as the moment where The Office really hit their peak. The momentum was there in the established fan base, and the show was new enough to still pull in new viewers. Currently working a job in a cubicle, I love the environment this sitcom is able to create for me. I've found it more poignant now than I ever have and will continue to watch and love all the hilarity the crew Dunder Mifflin is able to bring me.

Scrubs- Season 4:

I've now arrived to the point in Scrubs where it's all new to me. Me and my wife are finally at a point in a sitcom we both love where we both have fresh eyes. I'm such a fan of how they are able to combine hilarious scenarios with heartbreaking truths about life. It's a wonderful combination that is compelling and insightful. My favorite stuff from this season was the marital troubles between Turk and Carla. When we finished Season 3, they had just got married and were the happiest they'd been. This season focused on their first year of marriage troubles. That's something that really spoke to my wife and I, as we are finishing up our first year of marriage together as well. It added some amazing perspective and created some amazing discussions in our living room. Scrubs continues to be one of my all-time favorite sitcoms and I hope they keep that momentum going as long as possible.


Scream and images are copyrighted by The Weinstein Company

Orange is the New Black and images are copyrighted by Lionsgate Television

That '70s Show and images are copyrighted by Carsey-Werner Productions

Sons of Anarchy and images are copyrighted by 20th Television

3rd Rock from the Sun and images are copyrighted by Carsey-Werner Distribution

The Office and images are copyrighted by NBCUniversal Television Distribution

Scrubs and images are copyrighted by Touchstone Television and ABC Studios

Command Center Commentaries: Power Rangers Zeo Part 5

With only 10 episodes left, this is that last chance for Power Rangers Zeo to drive the season home. Could it do it? Well, with 3-part episode that has Tommy turn evil again, a 2-parter that saw the Zeo Rangers team up with the Alien Rangers, an episode that deals with time travel, an episode set at a murder mystery party, an episode with a Hawaiian theme, a musical episode, and the big season finale. That's a pretty stacked list of episodes and marks the first time this season where I have gone through an entire disc and haven't labelled an episode as skippable filler. So let's sit back, relax, and ride out the quality that is episodes 41-50 of the season.


Episode 41- Where in the World is Zeo Ranger 5?: This episode leads into the upcoming 2-parter, so it holds a little more significance than your average filler episode. To summarize, Tommy is kidnapped by the Machine Empire and the gang is having trouble finding him. This was interesting for the team dynamic because it allowed Jason to step into that leader role again. It was like riding a bicycle for him, but there's no time to enjoy it because Tommy is still missing by the end of the episode. We end the episode with Tommy, morphed and strapped to a chair, with a device on his head as he writhes in pain. Wow, what a visual. It's haunting and captivating all at once. Talk about a supreme cliffhanger that made you tune in for the next episode.

Episode 42- King for a Day Part 1: After a trippy nightmare scene, we see that Tommy has been brainwashed into believing that he is the leader of the Machine Empire and the Power Rangers are evil. So when Jason is transported to where Tommy is, he's convinced the Gold Ranger must be destroyed to save the world. So, technically, Tommy is evil again and Jason is in a bit of a spot, as he's in a gladiator-like arena fighting a monster powered by Tommy's powers.

Episode 43- King for a Day Part 2: Obviously, the Rangers teleport to save the day, but it's the way they save Tommy that is memorable. They power down, in hopes that their faces will trigger Tommy's memories and it works. There's also a fascinating subplot with Bulk and Skull who have also been transported to where the Rangers are, and they help an alien warrior plan his escape. It's just humorous to see them in this situation, where they accidentally end up saving the Rangers. No one on Earth will believe them, except for the Rangers, and when they say they believe Bulk and Skull, it's Bulk and Skull that don't believe them. That made me a little cross-eyed, but it's hilarious to watch all the same.

Episode 44- A Brief Mystery of Time: Admittedly, episodes 44-46 are pure filler, but I think they are some of the most compelling filler episodes from the season thanks to the episodes' themes. Like in this episode, Tommy is caught in a time hole, so he's reliving the same day over and over again. They attribute this to his brainwashing and it's all solved by the end of the episode. I'm a sucker for time travel, so this left me happy.

Episode 45- Mystery to Me: Another enjoyable filler, this episode had the theme of being set at a murder mystery party. While not overly important, it does give some signs at how Bulk and Skull are becoming more competent as detectives, plus it's fun to see the characters dressed up like rejects from the game Clue.

Episode 46- Another Song and Dance: Nothing that happens in this episode is worth anything to the actual story arc of the season. But it's one of the most memorable episodes of the season. Why? Because Tommy and Tanya are put under a spell where they can't stop singing. It's absolutely hilarious. Tanya is able to hold her notes, but it's Tommy's awkward delivery that makes this all worth it. If you aren't too concerned about story for this episode, you'll have an amazing time watching it.

Episode 47- Rangers of Two Worlds Part 1: The Rangers head to the Power Chamber to see an old man there that is revealed to be BILLY! Science mumbo jumbo...Billy is aging rapidly and needs a cure. A distress call is sent to Aquitar and the two Ranger teams spend time looking for a cure. At the same time, both the Machine Empire, as well as Rita and Zedd are creating monsters to fight the Rangers. The smart thing for the two forces would be to team up for a common purpose, which they do. Is there any way the Zeo Rangers can fight off two groups of villains?

Episode 48- Rangers of Two Worlds Part 2: With the forces of Rita, Zedd, and the Machine Empire teaming up, it'll take something we've never seen before to stop them: 2 Ranger teams fighting side by side. Although nearly completely nothing but Sentai footage, we get the Zeo Rangers and the Alien Rangers fighting together. It's brief, but it's fun to see and paved the way for the traditional season teamup episodes that we've all come to know and love. The episode ends with Billy going off to Aquitar to find a cure, while also hinting at a romance with an alien named Cestria. And thus, we say goodbye to Billy, the last of the original 5 Rangers to depart from the series.

Episode 49- Hawaii Zeo: Not much here outside of a Hawaiian atmosphere. I guess if there was something else worth noting, Tommy is shy to ask Kat out on a date. Odd, I just assumed they were already dating. But I guess this episode was the one to make it official. Well it's good to see that he's finally over that stupid letter from Kimberly that I really hate talking about.

Episode 50- Good as Gold: Jason's powers are malfunctioning. Odd, never addressed that as a major issue until just now. Anyways, they need to get the powers transferred back to Trey of Triforia. They succeed and grow super tall to defeat King Mondo. Zedd and Rita then give the Machine Empire a present that explodes. Driving away from the blown up Empire, Zedd declares "We're Back!" Meanwhile, Bulk and Skull quit their job with Stone in favor of an international espionage job. With Jason's powers gone, Tommy assures him that things will be ok and the two bros walk off into the distance with their respective girlfriends, ending the season. With so many cliffhangers like that, you can't help but build anticipation for the next season. Well, nothing concerning this status quo is retained by the next season, so this finale feels like a bit of a time waster. I'm not sure if this was filmed at a time where they were debating whether Zeo will get a second season or not, but since we obviously know now that the decision was made to do a new series after this episode, you can't help but wonder why they didn't do some fine tuning with the storytelling so the transition is smoother.

Season Spotlight: Villains

We were given a fresh new group of villains this season, sporting a very different aesthetic than Rita and Zedd. Essentially the same type of characters, the Machine Empire added a level of technology, while Rita and Zedd favored the mystical and magical side of things. Some of the standouts included whiny Prince Sprocket (which is more memorable for how annoying he was for anything else), Clank (the Finster of this season with a wonderful Scottish accent), and Prince Gasket (who surprisingly accomplished quite a bit in his short tenure on the show). Not as good as Rita and Zedd, but still left enough of an impression to be one of the most iconic villain groups to come out of Power Rangers.

Season Spotlight: Final Thoughts

The word "change" is a good way to describe Power Rangers Zeo. It retained enough things that were familiar about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and added enough aesthetics to make it feel like its own entity. It continued the story by addressing things we had seen before and introducing us to new things. The highlights definitely included Tanya's development, Billy's transition to being the team's tech master, the saga with the Gold Ranger's identity, and Tommy's connection with his Native American roots. It was the natural progression, an evolution of the show and characters we've grown up with. Not necessarily as good as Mighty Morphin in hindsight, but it was certainly captivating enough to keep enough of the original fans satisfied. Those fans weren't sent packing until next season, which was proceeded by another movie that actually was in canon with the show. That movie should've been an indicator of the crap we were in store for next season, but that's a story for another time.


Power Rangers Zeo and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment

What's In My Queue?- Week 7

Which group was stranger this week: The Solomon family or the gang over at Paddy's Pub?


3rd Rock from the Sun- Seasons 1 and 2:

About a year ago, my wife and I began watching this show together, both heading in completely blind. We were hooked within minutes. But we took a break from it after two seasons. We're getting back into the show within the next few weeks, so I spent the week re-binge watching the first two seasons as a refresher. I love the chemistry these characters have with each other and I find the writing and messages of each episode to be both clever and poignant. Since they are aliens, each episode focuses on a foreign study of human life. It's a very humorous satire that I love diving into with each episode. I know a lot of modern viewers like to watch this as a major starting point for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's career, but the real star of the show is John Lithgow as Dick Solomon. I could watch his material every day, he's that funny. 3rd Rock from the Sun is an easy favorite of mine and, you guessed it, will be getting its own retrospective once I've finished going through all 6 seasons.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia- Season 2:

I tried. I REALLY tried. I gave it one more season, so I could be introduced to the character dynamic once Danny DeVito was added on. And, I really felt like I gave it a chance but it isn't for me. I won't deny the show has its humorous moments, but I'm not in that proper mindset for it. I'm just not in this morally depraved state right now, but I'll admit if I was, this is probably a show I'd turn to for humor. Everyone has a different definition of what's funny to them and I'll acknowledge this show is funny for a lot of people. It just isn't for me...right now. It could be some day, but today it's getting a mild pass from me. Maybe I'll revisit it, or try going through it very slowly and maybe some mild fandom for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will spark out of it. But that's a big maybe.


3rd Rock from the Sun and images are copyrighted by Carsey-Werner Distribution

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and images are copyrighted by 20th Television

Command Center Commentaries: Power Rangers Zeo Part 4

At this moment on Power Rangers Zeo, the big question that kept fans watching was the identity of the Gold Ranger. It could be Billy. It could be Tommy's brother David. It could be Skull. The point was, we had a very compelling list of candidates that could possess the powers of this mysterious Gold Ranger. Episodes 31-40 did their job in giving us the identity of the Gold Ranger, but it isn't as simple as that. From what I've gathered, Brad Hawkins (the main actor on VR Troopers) was slated to play the character of the Gold Ranger, even voicing him in early episodes. Something happened to change those plans, so the Gold Ranger was given an underwhelming identity. To save us from a lackluster build, it was necessary to bring in a former Ranger to take on the Gold Ranger's powers. How did they make this work? Well let's find out...


Episode 32- Do I Know You?: The major moment of this episode that really narrowed down the potential list of identities for the Gold Ranger was when the Gold Ranger was teleported to the Power Chamber and acknowledged Zordon and Alpha. They deduce that for him to know them, they must've known him. Well...that rules out both Skull and David. It really made a lot of people think it could be Billy, but you can tell it's not. If he was, he would tell them. He wouldn't be this darn stubborn to keep the secret going. In truth, he was working on something for them. Had David Yost stayed with the show, it was heavily rumored that the goal was to have him create the powers they'd be using for next season. Of course, he had a falling out with the production and plans changed. But yes, after watching this episode, it really nailed in that all the candidates for the Gold Ranger were merely red herrings.

Episode 33- Revelations of Gold: After being wounded in a battle, we finally know the identity of the Gold Ranger. It's.....someone we've never seen before. The Gold Ranger is named Trey, an alien from the planet Triforia. The gimmick with Trey was that he was split into three personalities (using triplet actors...nice touch guys) of courage, wisdom, and heart. This causes his powers to be unbalanced, so they must be transferred to someone else. The Rangers naturally don't hesitate to select Billy, but thanks to some science mumbo jumbo, he's not able to. Tommy has another idea and leaves to go get another candidate for the powers. Probably his brother David, but we don't know for sure until the next episode.

Episode 34- A Golden Homecoming: Tommy makes it back to the Power Chamber with the new recruit and it's...JASON!?!?!? HOLY CRAP!!!! I can't imagine how good that must've felt for the fans when it first aired. It's such a great homecoming for the original Red Ranger. He takes on the Gold Ranger's powers and it feels just like old times. I got chills when he said "Back to action!" The Rangers also add the Super Zeo Zords to their arsenal in this episode, as well as Rito and Goldar get their memories back and reunite with Zedd and Rita. Now they're focused to try and take over the world again. What an episode to shake things up. You've got the return of an old ranger to take on the powers of the Gold Ranger, an unveiling of new zords, AND we're teased that Rita and Zedd are a force to be reckoned with yet again. Lots of stuff going on and fans were probably glued to their sets for the rest of the season. An episode like this has THAT much momentum going for it.

Episode 35- Mondo's Last Stand: With Jason back on the team, Rocky feels like he's being replaced. Which makes sense, after all, HE replaced Jason, so it's not too out there to think he'd be paranoid of turnabout being fair play. To prove himself, he tries to fight King Mondo on his own. It blows up in his face, obviously, but the Rangers band together to save the day. Mondo is destroyed, but Queen Machina makes it explicitly clear that Mondo will be back after a little bit of repair. But for now, we've got 15 episodes left, and our main villain has been temporarily destroyed. As far as major story arcs go for the season, anything is possible at this point.

Episode 36- Bomber in the Summer: The good times couldn't last very long for the Rangers, as a new baddie is created by Zedd and Rita to overthrow the Machine Empire. This new bad guy, Louie Kaboom, has a bit of an annoying voice that's tough to get around, but time will tell to see what kind of lasting impression he makes. This episode also introduces Jason's potential girlfriend for the season Emily. It seems so strange to see Jason have a love interest since he was really the only one in the original Power Rangers team to not be romantically attached to someone. I can't understand why, as he seems very good at it with his scenes with Emily.

Episode 37- The Lore of Auric: This episode had two main moments in the long run. The first was that it introduced the character of Auric the Conqueror, serving as a Ninjor-like ally for the team. However, there is a misunderstanding when Sprocket awakens Auric and convinces him the Rangers are evil. I'm surprised a villain hasn't thought of that until now. Summon a great warrior, convince them the Rangers are evil, and have them do all the dirty work for them. Brilliant. Anyways, the other aspect of the episode that's worth noting is that Tanya is able to find and save her long-lost parents in the jungle. It's a happy ending and all, but they're never seen or heard from again, so it kinda goes nowhere. But in the confines of the episode itself, it's a nice moment for Tanya's character.

Episode 40- The Joke's on Blue: We get the arrival of Prince Gasket, the heir to the Machine Empire, in this episode. He and his wife Archerina devise a plan to make Louie Kaboom fall in love with Archerina. They use that to their advantage and send him to go and destroy the Rangers, which ultimately backfires. With Louie gone, Gasket celebrates knowing the Machine Empire can now be in his control. What kind of evil plans will Gasket and Archerina have in store for the Rangers? Well, with 10 episodes left, we hopefully get some really solid episodes that make it worth adding them on as main villains.

Character Spotlight: Jason Lee Scott, played by Austin St. John

Having Jason come back was a huge shocker for fans watching the show at the time. Of course, it does raise the question of where the heck Zack and Trini were, but that's a minor gripe. It would have been easy for them to not develop Jason any further than how we knew him when he left back in Season 2 of Mighty Morphin, but they took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. Jason has been gone from being a Power Ranger for 2 years, and he's clearly going to have room for growth as a person. Moments where he thanks Tommy for stepping up as leader when he had to leave for the Peace Conference, assuring Rocky that he won't be replaced, and his romance with Emily. All these felt like a step in the right place for gradually developing Jason. He wasn't your stereotypical leader character anymore. There was a bit more substance in his episodes and the long-time fans definitely got a kick out of seeing Jason back on a team with Tommy, this time with the roles reversed. It's now Tommy who is leading as the Red Ranger and it's Jason who is the Sixth Ranger struggling with his powers. But I'll cover that more next time.

Season Spotlight: Bulk and Skull

The big progression with Bulk and Skull this season came when they stuck up for Lt. Stone after he was fired from the Police. After that, they became second-rate detectives and the comedic possibilities became endless. If there was anything that staggered Bulk and Skull slightly, it was the episodes that had them bully Rito and Goldar. While it's funny to see these two in control of the monsters that used to terrorize them, it regresses their development over the years and reverts them back to selfish bullies. Other than that, I really felt Bulk and Skull's material, like usual, makes most of the filler episodes must-see television.

Gasket and Archerina only have 10 episodes left in the season to prove their worth. But we'll get to talk about that in Part 5...


Power Rangers Zeo and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment

What's In My Queue?- Week 6

Heading back to Albuquerque this week, but I've seemed to make a pit stop in Philadelphia...


It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia- Season 1:

This was one I felt I needed to watch out of necessity. Nearly every guy friend I have has praised this show and I've always felt out of the loop. Watching the first season was an ok introduction, but it's noticeable that it wasn't the show it is today when it first premiered. The first season is only 7 episodes and there is no Danny DeVito in the cast yet, so I know I need to keep watching in order to get a better initial impression on the show. However, from what I can say is that the show has excellent writing, the cast has solid chemistry, and the humor works if you're in the proper mindset. That mindset, however, is knowing you are watching 4 of the most despicable and idiotic characters on television getting away with saying and doing some of the most horrible things imaginable. If you're into that mindset, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is comedy gold. If you get offended easily, go watch something else. Plain and simple.

Better Call Saul- Season 2:

I really enjoyed the first season of Better Call Saul and I felt the second season provided a story that was easy for me to absorb. By now, I'm used to these characters, so getting thrown some backstory curveballs here and there was refreshing. The overall story is now split in two, and really gives you two stories that they're building. The stories are how Saul and Mike came together to form the relationship we saw them have in Breaking Bad. Mike's story comes equipped with full-on Breaking Bad cameos from the Salamanca family, while Saul's early days as Jimmy are the meat of the actual plot of the season. The first season started off strong by throwing a lot at you to get the status quo across, and the second season has that plot developing, slow burn effect. I can't wait to start watching it on a weekly basis when the third season comes out, so I can see how the story unfolds next.


It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and images are copyrighted by 20th Television

Better Call Saul and images are copyrighted by Sony Pictures Television

Command Center Commentaries: Power Rangers Zeo Part 3

The show was picking up some serious steam as the episodes progress, but there's still something missing in that team dynamic. We've arrived at the moment that would change that: The Gold Ranger Saga. When the time came to introduce the 6th Ranger for the season, a story was attached to it where the Rangers were completely unaware of his identity. Throughout the episodes where the Gold Ranger would appear, a bunch of red herrings would be dropped hinting that anyone could be the Gold Ranger. That includes people like Billy, to Tommy's brother David, and even Skull. But who really is the Gold Ranger? Well, we don't find out in episodes 21-30, but we can at least keep an eye out for any clues or important moments that occur during the Gold Ranger's introduction.


Episode 21- Brother, Can You Spare an Arrowhead?: Everything you imagine would happen does. Tommy saves his brother and gets the arrowhead back. This episode also gives us a combination of the Zeo Megazord and the Red Battle Zord. It looks pretty sweet. Not overly bad way to end this story arc with Tommy and his brother, it's just a little predictable.

Episode 22- Trust in Me: This episode teased the idea that the Rangers weren't prepared for. What happens if one of Mondo's robots didn't want to be evil? I mean, it shouldn't be a complete foreign concept to them. I mean, they have Alpha after all. Anyways, it doesn't really matter because they trust the robot and he ends up lying to them. But it does raise some interesting points for questions and discussion.

Episode 23- It Came from Angel Grove: Nothing overly important to the main story, but if you like old monster movies, this episode is a treat. Adam stays up late to watch a monster movie and has a nightmare where all his friends resemble classic movie monsters. It's a great episode to watch around Halloween, and as a fan of horror movies, I have to recommend it.

Episode 24- Bulk Fiction: This episode is important because of the development we get with Bulk, Skull, and Lt. Stone. After falling for the police chief's daughter, Bulk makes a spectacle of himself to impress her, which gets Lt. Stone fired. Loyal to Stone, despite how much he intimidates them, Bulk and Skull quit on the spot. By the episode's end, we learn what they'll all be doing next. Stone opens up his own detective agency and hires Bulk and Skull on to help him. Well that'll be interesting. Bulk and Skull as detectives. The possibilities for comedy are endless.

Episode 26- Game of Honor: This episode has an Adam and Tanya focus, with the return of her dick ex-boyfriend Shawn. If you wanted some follow up on the Adam and Tanya relationship that fell to the wayside by the show's writers, this episode is your best chance. Tanya supports Adam by helping him train for a fight in a tournament against Shawn. She even calls him "sweetie" at one point. Why didn't they keep at the relationship? It was cute. I didn't mind seeing it play out. I mean, what other storyline could have possibly been more important in this season?

Episode 27- The Power of Gold: This is what we've all been waiting for! The arrival of the mysterious Gold Ranger! He debuts with an amazing costume, an impressive amount of fighting skills and powers, not to mention an awesome theme song! It takes a while to build up to him showing up in this episode, but it's all worth it when we finally see the Gold Ranger for the first time. Our first red herring for his identity is Billy, which would make tons of sense, since Billy is already used to being a Power Ranger and he disappeared to go do something shortly before the Gold Ranger showed up. Very smart move on the writers' part for them to give us teases like that. Really pulls you into the story immediately because you want to figure out if you can solve the Gold Ranger's identity.

Episode 28- A Small Problem: AH! Ok, whose bright idea was it to feature a giant tarantula in the episode's plot? Alright, I'm going to go super quick with this one. The tease for the Gold Ranger's identity in this episode is Skull of all people. And the Gold Ranger shows up to help the other Rangers form the Zeo Ultrazord. It's not very appealing , but it's huge and full of power, so it gets the job done. Good, now will you go away? BE GONE GIANT TARANTULA!!!

Episode 29- A Season to Remember: Dear God, another Christmas episode. Bring on the schmaltz! The goal of this holiday episode was to highlight the significance and importance of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Yeah, it's preachy, but what do you expect from a Power Rangers holiday special? The Rangers are planning a holiday celebration with a classmate named Raymond, who appeared a few times throughout the season but wasn't really important in the grand scheme. In honesty, I'm surprised Raymond wasn't a teased identity for the Gold Ranger. In fact, the Gold Ranger isn't mentioned in this episode, probably was filmed or broadcast earlier in the calendar year. Even more, the Rangers don't morph in the episode. They just get mad at each other over the different holidays and make up by the end thanks to a song. There's also a pretty funny side story of Bulk and Skull trying to solve a case of missing fruitcakes. And the main narrative is told through an elderly Tommy telling his grandson the story of this episode, where we find out he's married to Kat and their eldest grandson is a Power Ranger. Quite a prediction for their future.

Episode 30- Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise: This episode is pure filler, with the only important plot point being the tease that Tommy's brother David could be the Gold Ranger. Lackluster way to end this string of episodes, but what can you do?

Character Spotlight: Tommy Oliver, played by Jason David Frank

Tommy's extension of character in Power Rangers Zeo is small, but effective. We take a journey with Tommy as he explores his roots. We find out he's Native American (and I know, he's the Red Ranger. Won't Power Rangers ever stop being accidentally racist?) and has a brother that Tommy immediately begins to bond with. During this time, Tommy also uses his knowledge of Native American culture to help him in battle, by telepathically controlling the Red Battle Zord. That's about it with Tommy, apart from that stupid letter from Kimberly. He's a good leader and the same character we've known and loved for 3 years. Why fix something that isn't broken? Just have Tommy keep doing what he's doing, while sprinkling in a few interesting things here and there.

Character Spotlight: Billy, played by David Yost

When the time came for the Rangers to decide who wouldn't get a Zeo Crystal, Billy openly volunteered to step away from being a Power Ranger. He felt his skills were better utilized within the Power Chamber, working as their tech guy for the remainder of his tenure on the show. Despite not being a Ranger, he's still treated as an equal member of the team. And during this string of episodes, it was heavily speculated that he was the guy behind the Gold Ranger's helmet. Heck, the episode the Gold Ranger debuted, Billy laments over the fact that there used to be six Rangers. It would have been a really cool thing had Billy been the Gold Ranger, but that wasn't what the showrunners had in mind. At least, that's not what we got. By now, most fans have heard about David Yost's falling out with the show over how he was treated behind the scenes. There were some plans for Billy that were going to extend beyond Zeo, but we I'm not sure of the full extent. Anyways, I liked what they were able to do with Billy before David Yost left the show permanently, showcasing that a former Ranger is still useful after their powers are gone.

So who is the Gold Ranger? We're going to find out in Part 4...


Power Rangers Zeo and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment

What's In My Queue?- Week 5

This week featured binge marathons for Marvel and Ashton Kutcher. Those types of things don't go hand in hand, but I decided to roll with it.


Daredevil- Season 2:

HOLY BALLS!!!! I thought the first season of Daredevil was amazing, but this is beautiful. The first season felt like a slow burn to get into, but this season started off really aggressive and made it very easy to binge. All the characters were given natural progression with their story arcs, and we had a few new characters thrown into the mix. I wasn't too big on Elektra's story arc, to be perfectly honest, but she's only part of the overall story. The new character that really steals the season is The Punisher, played expertly by Jon Bernthal. He was so brutal and so compelling that I was really happy when they announced he'd be getting his own spinoff earlier this week. This Marvel Television Universe they're creating for Netflix is really doing well and I can't wait to see where they take it from here.

The Ranch- Part 1:

Curiosity's sake got the better of me with this one. I liked Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson when they were on That '70s Show, so seeing them together on another show had me intrigued. It won't be everyone's type of show, but it works well enough for me when I'm in the mood to watch it. Two things work for me on the show. The first is the type of comedy it's going with. They use a ranch environment, but what keeps the setting fresh is jokes that are filled with modern references and a much stronger adult sense of humor than I was expecting. The other thing that really works is the family dynamic between Kutcher and Masterson's characters and their father, played by Sam Elliot. These guys bicker phenomenally. Kutcher and Masterson just feels natural, given their history on That '70s Show, so I was really impressed with how well Elliot fit into the dynamic. You see them interact and you really see a dysfunctional family that loves each other deep down. The chemistry works really well between the main actors and that's what keeps me coming back for more. I hope this show is a success for Netflix, as I would love to see more episodes churned out to turn Part 1 into Season 1, and then maybe another season or two to see what kind of traction The Ranch can get.

That '70s Show- Season 1:

It was most likely seeing Kutcher and Masterson on The Ranch earlier this week, but I really felt the need to start watching That '70s Show again. I didn't grow up in the '70s, so sometimes it takes me a moment to process the jokes but that isn't the important element of the show to me. I don't care about the '70s references. What made me fall in love with the show was how incredible the cast was. I have a lot of favorite characters in this show and I love to see most of them grow over the course of 8 seasons. I only had time this week to watch the first season, but this is another of my favorite sitcoms that will definitely be getting a full show retrospective once I get to the show's final season. That may take a while, since a lot of these shows are stacking up and people can only have so much time in the week to watch stuff and do other things, but I know I'll be having a good time getting through it all.


Daredevil and images are copyrighted by NBCUniversal Television Distribution

The Ranch and images are copyrighted by Fox Television Animation

That '70s Show and images are copyrighted by T Group Production

What's In My Queue?- Week 4

This week, I traveled to many distant locations. Like Scranton, Quahog, and the Food Network...


The Office- Seasons 1 and 2:

I started watching The Office last year, during my senior year of college. Every one of my friends was in love with the show and I had never really taken the time to sit and watch it. I devoured the show over the course of my final semester and I knew there'd be a time when I re-watch it again. This week was the starting block for that. It has become one of my all-time favorite shows due to the writing and the cast, so this will definitely get a huge series retrospective by the time I get to the end of Season 9 for the second time. That'll be a few months down the road, but it'll definitely be worth the wait. Odds are you've made up in your own mind whether you like this show or not. I mean, it was one of the top sitcoms in history and certainly one of the most popular shows of its era. If you've already watched it, you'll probably watch it again. If you've dismissed the show for many years, you'll probably continue to do so. If you don't know what to make of it yet, give it a watch for a few seasons and see if it hooks you in like it did with me.

Family Guy- Seasons 1, 2, and 3:

If you're a fan of animation or adult humor, you've probably checked out Family Guy to see what the fuss is about. I was a fan of this show through reruns in my adolescent years, but lost base with it once I went off to college. The show had strayed far from the roots that I fell in love with and began to stray far too much to the side of pointless references and cutaway gags. That style has been Seth MacFarlane's bread and butter over the years, but I really liked the sitcom style that the first few seasons had, so I enjoyed making my way through those episodes again recently. The show ran for 2 seasons before being cancelled, then revived for a third season and being cancelled again. Once it was brought back for its fourth season, the tone was to go much more out there with the offensive humor. I prefer the style and tone of the show's original run, feeling like a classic sitcom with a modern, more adult twist. Maybe that's just me, but I'll gladly make my way through earlier seasons of Family Guy than try to keep up with whatever the show is doing nowadays to push the envelope.

Mystery Diners- Collection 1 (Technically Season 8):

This show is the greatest thing EVER!!! My wife and I love to sit through this show and have a good laugh. The premise for the show is simple: a restaurant contacts the Mystery Diners company to investigate something going on in their restaurant. They find the culprit via hidden cams and microphones and fire them. This is the show in a nutshell, but it's the poorly acted, over the top reenactments that make the show worth watching. Food Network has quickly become one of my favorite channels on television and Mystery Diners is definitely my favorite guilty pleasure for that channel. I didn't think the Food Network could have a "trash TV" kind of show, but here it is in all its heavily-dramatized glory.


The Office and images are copyrighted by NBCUniversal Television Distribution

Family Guy and images are copyrighted by Fox Television Animation

Mystery Diners and images are copyrighted by T Group Production

Avatar: The Last Airbender- Book 2 Review

After being introduced to Avatar: The Last Airbender a few weeks ago, I was looking forward to checking out Book 2: Earth. The show had left a great impression on me with its memorable characters, captivating episodes, and stylish animation, so the pressure was on for the show to keep the quality moving forward. There's only 3 Books on this show, so having a bad middle chapter could really hurt the momentum. Thankfully, Book 2 not only kept the quality moving forward, but it expanded it astronomically. With new characters introduced, a much larger long-term story arc, and memorable moments that range from hilarious, to action-packed, to emotional, Book 2: Earth validated why this show is worth watching. They didn't get lucky with Book 1. They have a story mapped out that constantly gets better with each episode.  I love Book 1, but Book 2 is so much better. This chapter has made me see how much I've been missing out on a fantastic show and it makes me very anxious to check out how Book 3 wraps this whole thing up. But don't just take my word for it, let's look at some of my favorite moments to take place in Book 2 and you'll see what I'm talking about.

The Avatar State: A lot of what they do with Aang, voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen, in Book 2 is about the same in Book 1. The big arc for him here is getting to the Avatar State. It comes at a time when he gets super upset and it can actually be pretty scary to see. His voice goes deep, his eyes and arrow glow white, and he is fueled by rage in his attacks. We also got to see Aang in a very vulnerable state when we spend a good number of episodes with Appa missing. We get to see him in an emotional state not yet seen with him. There's much more on the surface than a courageous child. He's getting closer to realizing his full potential and it's a great experience to follow him and watch his greatness unfold.

Love Letdown: Katara, voiced by Mae Whitman, is still one of the least interesting characters at the show, in my opinion. While she had some developing moments and episodes in Book 1, here she really just feels like something for Aang to save and pine for. I wouldn't necessarily call her useless enough to be a damsel in distress. She can still hold her own in a fight, but she's just not very compelling. I'm all for the "will they, won't they" storyline, but you've got to be able to do more with a character besides being someone's potential girlfriend. You've got one more Book show, do something with Katara that blows me away.

Courageous Comedian: Sokka still remains my favorite character because he has just as many memorable brave moments as he does memorable silly moments. Yeah, he doesn't necessarily grow that much as a character in Book 2, but that's because I don't think he necessarily needs to. He is a goof, but he is also a very brave and noble warrior. When you've got that kind of foundation, you can have him be annoyed by nomads, hallucinate from drinking a cactus, have a haiku battle, and awesomely declare that they need to spend their vacation AT THE LIBRARY without needing a whole bunch of development.

Zuko Alone: One of the characters that undergoes the most change in Book 2 is Zuko, voiced by Dante Basco. We get to know a lot more of his backstory early on in the season, and from there, we get to see him walk that fine line between good and evil. The part that sucks for him is that he tries to turn his life around, but other peoples' preconceived notions on the Fire Nation cause them to turn their backs on Zuko when his identity is revealed. It's easy to see how why he's such a beloved character. The tortured soul looking for redemption is a very popular trope and Zuko wears that role on the show very well.

The Tale of Iroh: Already one of my favorite characters, Book 2 really helped fuel the fire (you already know that's a pun, so don't bother asking) of why Iroh is such a compelling character. He has moments of wisdom and levity, and scenes where he is actually one of the fiercest fighters on the entire show. But, the best moment for Iroh is one of the most emotional moments on the entire show. In "The Tales of B Sing Se," we see a day in the life of Iroh and it is both heartwarming and heartbreaking in the span of only a few minutes. Easily one of the show's greatest highlights, especially with it dedicated in honor of Mako, the iconic voice actor for Iroh who passed away before Book 2 was entirely finished. Definitely the hardest I have tried to not cry at a television show in a long time.

The Blind Bandit: One of the show's best additions in Book 2 is Toph, voiced by Jessie Flower. She may be blind, but she is one of the best Earth Bender's in the world and is actually a champion, in an episode that features a very clever spoof of professional wrestling. She's such a well layered character that it's easy to develop her naturally throughout the progression of numerous episodes. Wealthy, but only flaunts it when necessary. People think she needs help, but she's more competent than most of them. And kicks as much butt as Daredevil can. Toph dished out enough Earthbending action and snarky comments to impress anyone.

Queen of Mean: Good God, Azula is crazy! Voiced by Grey DeLisle, the princess of the Fire Nation is an absolute BOSS! Very quickly into her introduction, she makes enemies with every main character on the show. On top of that, she's a more than competent villainess and seems to always counter our heroes and anti-heroes whenever they try and make a move. And, she shoots blue fire. That's just AWESOME!!! She's not like her brother, there isn't a fine line she walks. She's evil to the core and loves every moment of it. She is able to do so much more than most of the villains we've seen on the show so far, and at such a young age. Give me more awesomely evil Azula moments in Book 3 and I'll be a very happy camper.

Final Thoughts: While Book 1 had a lot of filler episodes that were still enjoyable to watch, Book 2 kept the narrative going pretty much all the way throughout. Episodes generally ended on cliffhangers, forcing you to binge watch to see what would happen next. The season developed a lot of the characters we've known for a while now, while introducing us to new characters who fit right along with the story. Groundbreaking moments and episodes scattered all around, Book 2: Earth proved why Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the best animated shows in history.


Avatar: The Last Airbender and images are copyrighted by Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Command Center Commentaries: Power Rangers Zeo Part 2

With Power Rangers Zeo, the fans were given the natural continuation of the story we got to know over 3 years with Mighty Morphin, but given a bit of an aesthetics upgrade. New villains, new powers, and a new Ranger thrown into the group. The early bits of the season were the filler episodes that fleshed out the characters and overall tone of the season to new and returning viewers. But now we're getting deeper into the season, where a little more of the meat that makes up some of the major story arcs are going to come into effect. Does that mean the introduction of new characters? Does that mean the introduction of new weapons and zords? Does it mean we'll get multi-parters? What kind of foundation can be laid with episodes 11-20? Let's find out...


Episode 11- A Few Bad Seeds: Not like this episode is overly important or anything, but I really like this ridiculous episode concept. The first half is nothing out of the ordinary, but it's the bit where Rocky is actually becoming a plant where this episode gets its cult following. I really enjoyed the dedication they put into the makeup and everything. You can see how it's remembered all these years later.

Episode 12- Instrument of Destruction: We get a music-themed episode every once in Power Rangers, and Power Rangers Zeo boasts having one of the better episodes in this genre. In this episode, we find out a la Phantom of the Opera homage that Skull is a brilliantly trained pianist. He's terrified to let others know about his talent because he doesn't want to be laughed at, particularly by Bulk. Adam talks him into performing at a recital, saying if Bulk is really Skull's friend, then he'll be proud of his talents. And it turns out that's exactly what happens. It's a great step forward for Bulk and Skull as characters. It's great for Skull, because it shows how cultured he can actually be. And as for Bulk, it shows how far he's come since being a generic bully.

Episode 14- Mr. Billy's Wild Ride: I think it's a little abrupt to bring Billy back this soon. I mean, the guy was only gone for a few episodes. Why make a big deal of sending him to another planet if you were gonna bring him back 4 episodes later? Anyways, the episode shows the Rangers use their minds to bring Billy home when King Mondo tries to intercept Billy's trip home. It's a unique concept that relies on their thinking power first, as opposed to them solving a problem with their Ranger powers. So, Billy's back. Hooray, it's like we hardly missed him.

Episode 15- There's No Business Like Snow Business Part 1: For me, this episode really shouldn't exist. It commits an ultimate sin for Power Rangers fans by having Kimberly break up with Tommy via letter. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!!!!!! After all those two had been through over 3 years, it makes absolutely no sense that she would find someone else and just end it with Tommy without the courtesy of a phone call or face to face interaction. A letter is not only a horrible cliche, but it also feels very out of character for Kimberly. Since this is one of the last moments Kimberly's character is ever given in this franchise, that is a horrible way for her to go out. Anyways, Billy and Kat try to cheer Tommy up by taking him skiing, where he meets a young lady named Heather. Honestly, while all this is happening, I just can't get my mind off that stupid letter. I don't care about Mondo's evil plan. I don't care about the Rangers going skiing. And I certainly don't care about this new girl that is trying to get into Tommy's life. This just blows!

Episode 16- There's No Business Like Snow Business Part 2: My same thoughts from above are all present here, with the only new thing about the 3-parter that interests me is to see Tommy actually try and move on. It's tough for him, and understandably so. But now he's in a state where if he tries to be in a romantic relationship, he has to worry about his Ranger duties interfering in his personal life. This is, for the most part, a major first to see on this show. It sucks to know that this Heather girl could be a good thing for Tommy, but saving the world could put all of that to a grinding halt.

Episode 17- There's No Business Like Snow Business Part 3: The third part of this episode, which feels like a huge stretch in my opinion, gets us to where the showrunners REALLY wanted to get to all season: Kat and Tommy getting together. Admittedly, the early bits of the season always teased a potential romance between Kat and Billy, so this does feel a tad left field. We see her throughout the multi-parter admit that she just wants Tommy to be happy, which in reality is such a nice sentiment that any guy would be impressed and enraptured by it. A happy ending for Tommy and Kat, and the fans in some capacity I guess (only time will tell how this couple fairs out compared to Tommy and Kimberly), but this episode was just way too long for its own good.

Episode 18- Inner Spirit: After the tease of Tommy's Native American roots during his Zeo Quest, we are finally given some growth with that. After having nightmares of failing the Rangers in a zord battle, Tommy needs to regain his confidence and keep a level head in order to pilot the new Red Battle Zord, which is controlled telepathically. This is an awesome concept with continuity in mind. Billy would have access to that kind of idea and technology from his trip to Aquitar and here it is combined with the Zeo powers. The episode ends with Tommy coming to terms with his roots and notices a man that looks a lot like him to end the episode. What kind of a cliffhanger do you call that? It definitely guarantees you'd be tuned into the next episode to see what can happen next.

Episode 19- Challenges: Tommy needs to go on a vision quest this episode in order to find out what the meaning of his half of an arrowhead means. In order to do that, he must catch up with a falcon, his spirit animal. More great continuity from the previous season, in a great callback to the Ninja powers. After a few distractions from the monster of the day, Tommy returns and saves that mysterious man from the last episode. Once the vision quest is complete, we uncover the mystery of both the arrowhead and the man that looks like Tommy. They're brothers!!!! Both adopted, separated until now. Wow!!! I mean, an obvious and cliche story arc, but you have to commend the show for trying this risk. We've known Tommy for years now and there's not a whole lot you could have introduced into his life to shake things up, other than that stupid letter from Kimberly. Here, we have a chance for Tommy to learn and embrace a culture and family he never knew about. The possibilities were endless at this point. Of course, Tommy's brother and Native American roots were used sparingly shortly afterwards, but it was cool in concept.

Episode 20- Found and Lost: This episode grows on Tommy's relationship with his brother David, as he tries to introduce him to his friends but embarrasses him in a karate scrimmage. Mondo uses this opportunity to kidnap David and hold him ransom for the arrowhead, which has magical powers. Ok, weird concept but it shows how far Tommy is willing to go to save a loved one. I always enjoy episodes where the Rangers have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save someone they care for, then the villains double cross them. This is the kind of cliffhanger we have to end the batch of episodes. Mondo still has David and now he has the arrowhead. What can happen next?

Character Spotlight: Rocky DeSantos, played by Steve Cardenas

While not improving too much on his already established character, Rocky definitely found a better home as the Blue Ranger than he did as the Red Ranger. Now, he doesn't have the pressure of following in Jason's footsteps. If his episodes aren't the most groundbreaking or his role is just for comic relief, at least he's doing it in a color that better suits him. It's also worth noting that one of Rocky's biggest arcs in the season was being best friends with Adam. We kind of already had that vibe from previous seasons, but they make for a nice duo, in one of Power Rangers' first major bromances.

Character Spotlight: Adam Park, played by Johnny Yong Bosch

Adam really came into his own once he became the Green Ranger. Gone is the old "puppy dog" days, and in its place is a stronger sense of confidence and determination. In this batch of episodes, we saw Adam rise to the occasion in order to unlock new skills. Whether that was music in order to graduate, or boxing in order to create his own fighting style, we definitely saw Adam was up for whatever challenges came his way. I know a lot of people think of Adam as the Black Ranger first, but his role as the Green Zeo Ranger stands out stronger in my mind over the years because he branched off more and showcased how he is one of the most valuable members of the Zeo Rangers.

With the introduction of Tommy's brother and a cliffhanger ending in this string of episodes, what else important can happen when we head into Part 3...?


Power Rangers Zeo and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment

What's In My Queue?- Week 3

This week was quite the adventure for me, as I dove into two shows that quickly became two of my favorite shows currently on television. And ironically, both have to do with the justice system in their own special way. Here are my thoughts on what I binged this week.


Better Call Saul- Season 1:

Breaking Bad is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and it is for a lot of people. When Better Call Saul was announced, I was a little hesitant to give it a try. For starters, I've never been the biggest fan of Saul's character. He wasn't bad to me, but I didn't see the show-stealer that everyone else saw. The other aspect of a spin-off show like this was that if it wasn't as good as its predecessor, it could take away from my overall enjoyment of this story and universe as a whole. I finally gave in and watched the first season, and I'm thankful I did. This had an entirely different tone and feel than Breaking Bad did in the best possible way. The first season really focuses in on the legal battles, instead of drugs and cartels. I was invested with the characters, I was hooked on the story, and I was enamored by the cinematography. You don't necessarily need to watch Breaking Bad in order to understand Better Call Saul, but it definitely helps and gives you an excuse to binge the show if you haven't already (or binge the show for the 20th time if you're one of those types of viewers). This will definitely get a more in-depth review in the near future, but most likely when the show actually ends. If you're interested in me going through Breaking Bad, however, let me know in the comments and there could definitely be 5 season retrospectives for that show on this blog in the near future. For now, I'm probably gonna sit back and enjoy the second season of Better Call Saul, which I've been recording on my DVR all season.

Daredevil- Season 1:

Holy crap! When it comes to Marvel superheroes, I've always been drawn to Daredevil. I think it has a lot to do with him being a Marvel equivalent to Batman, a dark and gritty conscience that brings justice to a dingy, crime filled town. So when Netflix premiered a mature Daredevil series that has ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I knew I'd be in for a treat. This show has a lot of complex and compelling characters that I had a blast following. Of the standouts were Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson. I really felt drawn to these characters whenever they were on-screen. The mystery that is constantly unfolding, the flashbacks that give a lot more depth to these characters, the wonderfully filmed and choreographed action scenes, and the properly dark tone really made this a show worth binging. Daredevil Season 1 ups the quality with every episode. It might seem hard to get into at first, but by the midway point, you can't put the show down. In fact, I'm gonna start binging Season 2 and hope to give my thoughts on that within the next week or two. This one is also worthy of getting its own full-scale review down the road. What a good week of television for me to enjoy.


Better Call Saul and images are copyrighted by Sony Pictures Television

Daredevil and images are copyrighted by Marvel Television

Command Center Commentaries: Power Rangers Zeo Part 1

The Power Rangers that we have known for the first three seasons are gone forever. As harsh and sad as that is, it was inevitable. They kept the traditional aesthetics going on for three years, while constantly trying to update the stories and characters. It was much more trouble than was needed. You could keep the story going, while changing the costumes, villains, music, and zords, as long as it felt like a natural progression. Hence why they introduced the Zeo Crystal last season. It was the power source needed to transition Mighty Morphin Power Rangers into Power Rangers Zeo. While continuing the story, this will in many ways be its own series and will need more analysis on majority of the episodes. There's less need to skip filler because a lot of that filler will be necessary for establishing the new status quo, newer characters, or new stories for older characters. So let's see how some of these changes played out by analyzing the first 10 episodes of Power Rangers Zeo.


Episode 1- A Zeo Beginning Part 1: Picking up where last season left off, we see the Rangers in the wreckage of the Command Center's explosion. They discover the Zeo Crystal in the rubble and it sucks them underground as the Command Center rebuilds itself into the Power Chamber. From there, they find their way back into the Power Chamber and reunite with Alpha 5. That's great and all, but they'll get their big moment with the new powers in Part 2. The real big moment of this episode was the debut of our new villains. King Mondo, Queen Machina, and the Machine Empire arrive and send Rita and Zedd running scared. WOW! These guys scare Rita and Zedd?!?!? What an impression these guys made in their first episode. Will the Zeo Crystal provide a power source that can stand up to the Machine Empire? That's what we're going to find out.

Episode 2- A Zeo Beginning Part 2: In another storyline in this 2-parter, Rito and Goldar have survived the explosion, but don't remember who they are and seek Bulk and Skull out to help find out who they are. Bulk and Skull then bring them on to be their pets/slaves, strictly for comedic purposes. It's kind of interesting to see Bulk and Skull hold a little authority over the monsters that have sent them running for years. Anyways, the Zeo Crystal provides a major power supply for 5 Rangers, so Tanya offers to step down since she's the newest member of the team. Instead, Billy opts to serve as a tech assistant in the Power Chamber. This is a huge moment for Billy, being the last of the original 5 Rangers to step down as a Ranger. Unlike the others that left immediately, he's still able to serve a purpose on the team. The Rangers get their new powers and with that come some new colors. Kat and Tanya retain the Pink and Yellow powers you'd expect, but the major changes are for the guys. Rocky becomes the Blue Ranger, Adam becomes the Green Ranger, and Tommy becomes the Red Ranger. They morph and lay waste to Mondo's henchmen, the Cogs. It's a pretty good debut for the new Rangers, I just wish we could've seen a little more action from them. I like the look of the Zeo Rangers. The shaped visors on the helmets are a nice change of pace, and something about the aesthetics make the main colors look a lot brighter in contrast to the Mighty Morphin suits. I also really enjoy how the main music borrows elements of the original "Go Go Power Rangers" theme song and expands it with a new sound. This is an overall very strong introduction episode that builds upon the last season and changes the status quo. It's a natural progression into this newer series with its own brand of tone and style.

Episode 3- Shooting Star: This episode gives us the introduction of the Zeo Zords and really gives a lot of details on their actual functionality in the Zeo Megazord. For example, Kat and Tanya control the firepower, Rocky and Adam control the driving force, and Tommy controls the main pilot. Oh, and we also get to meet Tanya's new boyfriend Shawn. He's a dick!

Episode 4- Target Rangers: Not much important in this episode's plot, but I wanted to take a moment to go over a really cool feature with the zords that is introduced in this episode. They Megazord comes complete with different helmets, each exhibiting different traits and power ups based on the zord the helmet comes from. It's a pretty neat feature that actually gets them out of a really tricky situation in the episode's climax. Definitely something that allows the Zeo Megazord to stand out from others.

Episode 6- Rangers In The Outfield: As a fan of baseball, I really enjoy the baseball atmosphere in this episode. But that isn't the reason to check this one out. The real reason to check it out is what it does for Tanya's character. After making the baseball team, her boyfriend Shawn (the dick I spoke of earlier) gets super critical of her. She finally has had enough and puts Shawn in his place, breaking up with him in the process. This was a phenomenal moment in the series because it gave Tanya a defining moment of strength and confidence. Standing up to her mentally abusive boyfriend speaks volumes of the type of role model Tanya could be for the female viewers of Power Rangers, while also pointing out to the male viewers of how NOT to treat a lady. This moment also teased a very underdeveloped potential relationship for Tanya and Adam down the road. I feel like setting these two up as a power couple (no pun intended) was going to be a strong storyline that got lost in the shuffle as the season progressed.

Episode 9- Invasion of the Ranger Snatchers: I really wanted to include this one just for how bizarre it was to watch. For starters, the main plot was centered on filming a movie. I love movies and the process of filming them, so this was a fun little episode that pulled me in with the premise. And it all goes weird from here. The Rangers are then trapped in some vortex or world or something and are forced to film Prince Sprocket's movie. We then get to see them make some very interesting use of the Sentai footage, including the Zeo Rangers riding on horses to stop a bus. Not much importance in the episode other than that. It's just a kooky premise that's surreal to watch.

Episode 10- Graduation Blues: In an episode that doesn't focus on the Rangers, we actually get to work on furthering Billy's development since stepping down as a Power Ranger. With more than enough credits, he graduates early right around the time an Aquitian spaceship lands in Angel Grove and Cestro steps out looking for Billy. Long story short, they work on a new weapon for the Rangers and Billy flies off to help the people of Aquitar.

Character Spotlight: Katherine Hillard, played by Catherine Sutherland

I felt that Kat really came into her own as a Pink Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo, as opposed to her brief time as a Pink Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. We definitely saw Kat show a much more maternal side than last season. That didn't make her the most interesting character of her team, but you definitely saw growth and a defining role on the team. There's another role or element of her depth that I can't address until next time, but I'll say it involves a romantic interest. Interestingly, I kind of had the vibe that she could've ended up with Billy, but that may just be me. Still, I always like when a character can get a more defined role as seasons progress, so I'm glad Kat could become more than just the token Australian character on the team.

Character Spotlight: Tanya Sloan, played by Nakia Burrise

The only fully new character heading into this season, there was a major opportunity to really play out some ideas with Tanya in the early episodes. You're starting with a fresh slate with her and able to build her role throughout the early episodes. By overcoming her verbally and emotionally relationship with Shawn, we had a great sense of how much value and confidence Tanya has in herself when she stood up to him. That's a major moment for the season that can't be ignored. That was the major focus of the few standalone episodes she had in the early parts of the season. After a while, it was very easy for her to feel like a regular member of the team. Through these episodes, she got acquainted with the audience very quickly and you could then build upon her character further. For example, joining the baseball team on natural talent shows how athletic and sporty she can be, and we later discover she has a passion for music. With the first group of major episodes, they were really able to do a great job at introducing the character of Tanya and make her stand out from her previous Yellow Ranger counterparts. She's not Trini or Aisha. She has her own traits and qualities that make her unique.

With their new powers in full effect, let's see what's next for the Zeo Rangers in Part 2...


Power Rangers Zeo and images are copyrighted by Saban Entertainment

What's In My Queue?- Week 2

A short week this week in terms of shows watched, but I definitely got some quality animation for my troubles. Here are my thoughts on the shows I binged this week...


Animaniacs- Season 1:

I'm sure many of you were as excited as I was to see the entire Animaniacs cartoon added to Netflix this week. My mission began to binge as much as possible. This is one of the greatest cartoons to ever exist and it is because of the complete insanity that occurs in every episode. From The Warners, to Slappy Squirrel, to Pinky and the Brain, and so on, every recurring sketch is memorable and hilarious for different things. Me personally, I really love The Warners and Slappy in this season. Pinky and the Brain really came into their own once they got their own show, but that's just me thinking out loud. This show is so smart and so self-aware that I can't help but enjoy it more as an adult than I did as a child. If you love this show as much as I do, you've probably already started watching it on Netflix. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Just sit back and relax. You'll laugh to you collapse with Animaniacs.

American Dad!- Seasons 1, 2, and 3:

I remember when this show first came out, I wouldn't give it the time of day. I didn't care for political jokes and I thought Seth MacFarlane's talent was better used on Family Guy. Boy, how perspective has seriously changed over the years. I think the show's a lot funnier thanks to the jokes and the characters. I think it's just a matter of preference as time goes by. The political humor is stronger and more poignant in American Dad! than it is in Family Guy and that's why I think it's funnier. They commit themselves to the jokes and morals way more in this show, so it's a lot more hysterical. If you like Seth MacFarlane's brand of humor, odds are you've already checked this show out. If you haven't yet, out of loyalty to Family Guy, give it a shot. It's pretty enjoyable.


Animaniacs and images are copyrighted by Warner Bros. Animation

American Dad! and images are copyrighted by Fox Television Animation