Episode 340 - Lightspeed Teamwork

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Right. So I get a Joel episode. Um.... it's entirely possible that he's in my top three least favorite Rangers list? (For the record, the other two are Sky and Dax.) And I know that his whole arc is how he learns to be less of a dick and less of a patronizing jackass, but I hate him. So I'm not particularly looking forward to this episode.

We start off in the demons Castle Greyskull, with Diabolico planning on destroying the Lightspeed base. Turns out that since the base is underwater, they can't do anything about it, because water weakens them. So Diabolico demands a monster.

Back on the base, Joel catches sight of a woman, and is like "hoooooooot." He knocks her over and spills all the things.

Themesong! I love this themesong! It's catchy and fun and pretty awesome. You know what else is pretty awesome? The costume design. I seriously love it. I also have nothing else to say about it, because both are fun.

Anyway, the woman puts her glasses back on. He tries to impress her, and is all being a GIANT ASS in his attempt to flirt. He shows off his morpher, and is trying to use his status to impress her, and is basically a giant ass.

So, Captain Mitchell (who is AWESOME) is giving them a tour of the base.  And oh, turns out that the woman (Ms. Fairweather, who is probably ABD) is the genius behind all the tech. BECAUSE SHE IS GREAT. Seriously, I think she's my favorite.

Their zords are trains. Which.... I agree with Kelsey. Trains?

Meanwhile, Joel has ditched the training so he can go buy flowers for Ms. Fairweather. The city is being attacked by a lava monster, and the Rangers aren't sure if they're ready for this. Ms. Fairweather explains that they're programmed to assist him.

Joel gets yelled at for being late, and if he's this much trouble and this much of an ass, why did they choose him? (He even tries to convince Captain Mitchell that he was on a top secret mission that even the captain didn't know about.) And like, I like cocky assholes? I HATE JOEL.

Anyway, the trains launch, and it is a pretty cool sequence, even though I keep thinking about Shining Time Station. I'm not really sure that bridges can move like that? And the fact that there's a volcano in Mariner Bay MIGHT be a longterm problem.

From the GIANT train they were in, they split off into smaller zords (.... so what was the point of the train?)  and Carter picks up that there are people trapped in a building. So all the Zords go to stop them. Joel is all "I can do this alone" but Ms. Fairweather is all "NOPE." Joel is sulky about it, but agrees anyway. Instead they need to combine into part of the Megazord, and this sequence isn't nearly entertaining enough for the amount of time they spend on it. Blah blah blah, rescue mission for three people in the elevator. Isn't there a monster running lose in the city? JUST SAYING.

I mean, the city clearly has regular fire departments and all that. They're supposed to be FIGHTING THE MONSTER. THAT IS THEIR PURPOSE. The fire department can handle this! They CAN'T handle the monster. DO YOUR JOB AND FIGHT THE MONSTER, RANGERS. LET THE CIVILIAN FORCES DO THEIR JOB.

Instead, they get a new toy. (This early in the season?) This allows Carter to open the busted elevator where Kelsey, Dana and civilians are stuck. Bah.

... And then Dana and Kelsey have to go take the civilians to safety while the guys fight the monster. UM. Yeah.

Joel once again attempts to disobey the order because he has a better idea, and Ms. Fairweather ends up screaming at him to obey the order. And her plan works because she is smart. And he is an ass who didn't bother going to the briefing.

Then they combine into the Megazord, and there is way too much zord fighting in this episode. I so don't care. It is too early in the season for me to be all "I don't care!" But seriously, 80% of this episode has been Zords, and the other 20% has been Joel being an ass.

So the Megazord punches things and they throw the monster into the volcano which blows him up? WHATEVER.

Back on the base, Carter is all stressing the importance of teamwork, which Joel agrees to, until he sees Ms. Fairweather, and then he runs off to hit on her some more. He wonders if she's allowed to be in here, because he's a patronizing jackass. Then he manages to insult her and computer geeks in general and she yells at him that next time she'll just let him explode. YOU DO THAT, MS. FAIRWEATHER. And then the rest of the team mocks him, which I'm okay with.

Fish: 3. It would have been 5 because of how Joel is an ass, but QR says we can't rate like that. So instead all the fish are from seriously, monster right there! Let the civilians do their jobs and FIGHT THE MONSTER.