REVIEW: Power Rangers Ninja Steel 7 + 8
- Coffee Breaks with JJ
- Apr 4, 2017
- 3 min read
This week we got two new episodes of Power Rangers Ninja Steel, "Hack Attack" and "Gold Rush." The first episode, Hack Attack, is a Sarah-focused episode. The second episode, Gold Rush, is the official introduction of the Gold Ranger.
"Hack Attack" presents us with Sarah juggling an incredibly busy schedule, as well as Madam Odius infusing the Gold Ranger with the power of the Gold Ninja Star. Madam Odius informs the audience and the Gold Ranger that once she is finished, she will dispose of the human stowaway like trash. In order to attend all four of her clubs at once, Sarah has created holo-clone devices of herself, but the tech gets stolen by the Monster of the Day (MotD), Hacktrack. Mick, with the power of music, shows Sarah that trying to work on four things at once is not productive but working on one thing is productive. Sarah has to use Mick's advice to quickly figure out a way to defeat her tech.
There is also an introduction to a new Zord, the Astro Zord, that can fly into space and track down the Rangers while making short work of the MotD. The episode ends with the Astro Zord tracking down the Gold Ranger and freeing him, and the hunt for the Gold Ranger is on. Other than the plot convenience of Sarah’s holo-clone tech and the MotD being a tech eater, this episode had a very well-written plot. The Gold Ranger promo was very creative and the moral was very clear.
The next episode, "Gold Rush," starts off with the Gold Ranger, a cowboy themed Ranger with a guitar sword / blaster, easily defeating an unknown MotD. The Gold Ranger leaves the scene before the Rangers come to see him. We learn that both sides have been tracking the Gold Ranger for weeks. Galvanax is out for blood on who even hid the Gold Ranger on his ship.
The Rangers are lined up to see Levi Weston, a country music star with a love for the color gold; everyone but Brody is starstruck by Levi. Ripcon attacks the Rangers in the hopes that the Gold Ranger will come out, but Levi’s manager is shown to have the Gold Ninja Star. Levi wants Brody to be his bodyguard while he is in town. Brody agrees with two conditions: his friends get backstage passes, and he is going to treat Levi like a person and not a trophy. While Ripcon returns to kidnap Levi’s manager, believing him to be the Gold Ranger, Brody and Levi have a moment of how they misjudged each other, with the other thinking that they were something they were not. This gets underlined even more when Levi eventually morphs into the Gold Ranger.
As foreshadowing, the Ninja Nexis Prism shows Mick and Redbot the Lion Galaxy Zord back at the base, for reasons unknown. After the Rangers fangirl over Levi, Brody asks how Levi ended up on the ship. Levi explains that he was off on his own getting ideas for his album, then moments after he grabbed the Gold Ninja Star, Madam Odius kidnapped him and drove him mad. The episode ends with the Rangers at the base excited for their complete team.
I have a problem with Levi. Don’t get me wrong; I totally thought the Gold Ranger was going to be Brody’s brother and I loved the fact that I was tricked. But if he was so excited to work with the Rangers, then why did he avoid them for weeks? Other than that, I loved the training outfits used in the battle field--they looked smooth and fun.
[E/N: If you're enjoying JJ's videos as much as we are, check out her YouTube channel at Coffee Breaks with JJ for more musings on Power Rangers and other toku shows!]
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