Power Rangers Megaforce: S20E08 - Robo Knight.

Let's be perfectly honest, Megaforce isn't very good. The great sentai action sequences probably would give it a pass usually but as a celebration of this shows longevity, it's frankly insulting. However, this week, a new member is joining the team and it may be a machine but it also may just be the thing the show needs to breathe some life into it...
So it's becoming pretty clear that the primary focus of Megaforce is the environment, largely the state of it and what we are doing to it. And yes, although the message is extremely heavy handed, no more so than in this weeks episode, I still personally found it interesting enough to not really mind that much. At least it's a serious issue worth shouting about.

I actually wouldn't have minded it if they had just full on gone with eco-warrior Power Rangers. As corny a concept as it would be, I always prefer a Power Rangers team unified under some kind of theme, rather than just a ragtag bunch of teens. And I know they have the whole Defenders of The Earth in general thing they cry but the Megaforce don't really seem to be about anything other than defending the Earth in general, they lack a primary focus. I mean sure defending the Earth is important but without any motivations beyond that it isn't particularly interesting.

Anyway, so basically, the Power Ranger world is just so fucked that they're literally creating mutants from all the toxic waste they are dumping. I bet that'll make you bloody think about the consequences of your actions! What is pretty cool is the mutants power level depends on the level of pollution in the world and to 'top up' their power, they just go and bathe in more waste. This gives actual motivation for their plans to turn the world into a polluted human graveyard. I also like this because it largely explains away why Troy was able to take down Creepox last time and this week gets his ass utterly kicked. Subtle digs like this at the state of our world work a lot better than all the other times they scream 'polluted environment' in our face over the course of the episode. I think they'd make great replacements for Creepox.

Hey guess what, we actually get to spend time with the characters...kind of. Despite it being Troy who defeated Creepox and being the only one mature enough to not celebrate prematurely, really the character focus was on Noah and Emma as they accepted their lives as Rangers and thought about their new friendships, with a little bit of Jake and Gia flirting thrown in for good measure. Yes, it would have been better if this focus was on Troy, since the other Rangers were largely useless in the battle, but by this point I'm so starved of character focus I'll take whatever the hell I can get.

Actionwise, it's once again fantastic and what was especially cool was Noah taking on one of the enemies alone. I understand that it is just the sentai footage blahblah but I like the fact that the nerdy member has been matched up with such a badass fighter and since they bothered to have Noah declaring his dedication to his duties earlier in the episode, it is much more believable when we see him kicking ass and taking names.

And most importantly is Robo Knight's entrance. Which was pretty lame, honestly. Although the concept was there with the whole pollution is my power thing, we've seen our Rangers take quite the beating over the course of the series and the episode did very little to warrant why the Earth let him step in now and not earlier. Much the same can be said for the fact that his arrival inspires the Rangers do like a...clean costume transformation (?) complete with apparently increased power. Why? Couple that with the shitty robot voice effect and his corny dialogue and all you have is a big soup of underwhelmingness. He does at least provide the Rangers something to work towards that isn't in the fight scenes and so if this show actually starts focusing on the characters and not just the action he could turn out to be really interesting.

Thankfully as of right now in the action heavy Megaforce, Robo Knight more than makes up for his crappiness in the fight scenes. Man this guy kicks ass - this guy really takes no shit when it comes to people who harm the planet and he ain't here to make friends, he's got a mission and that is all that matters. Plus this motherfucker can both use Power Cards and turn into a Zord. Epic.

Overall I thought this was a pretty damn good episode Yes Robo Knight's entrance was kinda crappy and it seemed odd that with what Troy went through we don't focus on him at all but that doesn't outweigh the fact that Megaforce has picked a theme with actual threat, introduces some interesting new villains and a sixth ranger who kicks utter ass.

Pros;

• Given all the crappy, nonsensical and goofy villain motivations in the past, a genuine threat like pollution and the damage that causes the environment is pretty refreshing.
• I like the new villains - sorry Creepox but I fully support your replacements. 
• Yay character focus, sort of...
• Great action, both Noah and Robo Knight get to kick some serious butt this week.

Cons;

• Although I support your message, you don't need to scream it at us.
• Why is Troy the one character you don't focus on at all this week, given everything that happened in the last episode?
• Robo Knight's entrance was...pretty shitty. That voice man.

Think About It!

-Locke

What would you rate, 'Robo Knight'?