REVIEW: Dino Supercharge 17 "Worgworld"
I can honestly say I didn’t expect this episode. At all. I don’t know what I expected when I learned of the title, but this was probably not it. And I think I liked it? Maybe? It was certainly a nice episode, which is something. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the just plain weird of Worgworld. In the interest of brevity, that’s going to be the general format finishing out Dino Charge, and we’ll see where it goes from there.
THE GOOD: Koda interacting with Worg is a really interesting idea. I’m not sure how much Koda understands regarding Worg being a robot, because the way he talks to “him” makes it seem like sometimes he is aware and sometimes he isn’t. The conversation Koda has with Worg as he’s putting him into the crate is an unexpected feels-flare-up that kind of took my breath away. I felt as if this was finally the Koda episode I was looking for: one that explores his loneliness and how he views the world around him and the changes that have been made. It’s not as much as I would have liked, but then again it would have required Koda to be the main character if we were going to really look at the effects of bringing a caveman into the modern world. It could have worked, but then again it could have been a Wild Force redux.
THE BAD: I’ve never been a huge fan of the repetitive dialogue, but I think the repetition of the zombies created by the Devious Duet being innocent people is a bit grating. I may very well be exaggerating due to being annoyed by it almost immediately, but to be honest I don’t really think I am. I think that merely stating it and then demonstrating it is enough for kids to grasp the concept in a 22-minute show. As a child it really only took one explicit statement that Z-Putties had a weak spot in their chests to comprehend what was going on, so I think that they could have trusted their audience to understand without saying multiple times that the people needed to be saved rather than destroyed.
THE WEIRD: A few things. First, why was this such a better Halloween episode than the Halloween episode? (Because it wasn’t a clip show.) Secondly, why do these people have barely anywhere to use as sets or outdoor locations? There’s no reason an aerobics class should take place in a dinosaur museum cafe. Even though it makes a startling amount of sense that a robot would be teaching an aerobics class, why would it be happening there? And finally, while Sledge’s return is supremely awesome, especially with the reveal that Snide has been his catspaw all along (mirroring Singe and Arcanon), it feels a bit odd that the power of the Dark Energem was not enough to strengthen Arcanon all that much, but could enable Sledge to destroy Arcanon, Singe, and the Devious Duet in one strike. It reminds me of the Corona Aurora in OO having the ability to...slightly freeze the Rangers until Mack’s plot powers saved the day.
Despite some misgivings regarding the second series, “Worgworld” has done a bit to right the ship. My biggest issue was probably the fact that there simply wasn't much here to talk about, other than the return of Sledge, which I'd already predicted. I think that if the show finishes strong that in the end some of the rudderless story feeling from mid-range Dino Supercharge will start to fade away, and this series will have the potential to be remembered pretty fondly. I’m already starting to feel like I’ll miss it when it’s done.
