Dawn of Destiny

Power Rangers: Time Force, Episode 28

Original Airdate: 8-18-2001

Last Time: Frax came up with a truly terrible plan to get rid of Ransik via his illness that was so poorly conceived that it led to the mass production of the cure to the disease.

Frax is still running away from Ransik who intends to annihilate him for the events of last episode. Unfortunately, the Cyclobots won't rat out their fellow robot, and so the search is fruitless.

But enough plot, it time for the Rangers take strike stupid poses in front of a camera. Actually, I'm not sure if this scene isn't some sort of product placement deal with Polaroid. Jen breaks up the levity to discuss her worry that the Rangers are hopelessly fucking up the future. Case in point, the serum from last episode has now been invented a couple of hundred years too early. Wes vows to get it back, because, well, the Rangers don't really care about the people of the present except insofar as they are necessary to achieve the Ranger's preferred future. Credits!

In Mr. Collins' office, some businessmen explain that thanks to the serum, Mr. Collins is even more incredibly wealthy than before. Plus, he even defers to Eric when it comes to matters concerning the expansion of the Silver Guardians. Looks like everyone wins! But Wes, being Wes, believes that the only way to get Jen is to do whatever she says, and sneaks into a lab to steal the serum. Eric, being much better than Wes, stops him about five seconds into the heist.

Wes tries to explain that he has to steal the serum for everyone's sake and...well, I guess it would help the people of the future maintain their current timeline, but I don't see how it's doing any good for the people of the present. Mr. Collins shows up and is unconvinced by his son's evasive attempts to get him to turn over the serum.

Back in Ransik's Den of Doom, Ransik is completely out of serum, but quickly finds out that Mr. Collins still has some serum left over from last episode. Meanwhile, Wes whines to Jen that his father wants to use the serum to make money, as opposed to withholding from mankind in order to protect a future that he doesn't know about and that isn't particularly impressive in any case. The cad!

In some warehouse, Frax has decided to build a giant evil robot, a process monitored by Alex a thousand years in the future.

Ransik launches an attack on the lab with the serum so that he doesn't die an agonizing death. Mr. Collins gets caught up in the crossfire, and the Silver Guardians face off against some Cyclobots in a thrilling contest of cannon fodder. Both Ransik and Mr. Collins end up in the lab, and Mr. Collins blocks Ransik's path and vows to destroy the remaining serum so that he can kill Ransik and protect his son. They have a rather uncompelling conversation about Wes and forging your own path or something that Ransik mercifully ends by blasting Mr. Collins in the chest.

Ransik escapes, but runs into Eric, who Ransik also badly injures. Christ, Ransik, why can't you ever cripple characters I don't like? Eric is able to recover quickly enough to see Mr. Collins get taken to the hospital.

Elsewhere, a new monster is laying waste to the city and the Rangers fight off some Cyclobots in a fight that is filler even by the standards of this show. The exciting time-killing action continues with a megazord fight only notable for Alex finally realizing that he's going to have to do something little more constructive than launching the Time Shadow every episode to prevent his future from ceasing to be, and he heads off to have a frank exchange of ideas with the Rangers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Collins get wheeled into surgery. Will he make it? Well, first we have to see the conclusion of the Rangers' fight against the wholly undistinctive monster. Spoiler: They kill him. And then Frax continues to build his evil robot.

The Rangers celebrate another downed monster, and Jen is still worried about breaking the future. Alex shows up out of nowhere to explain that the Rangers have already fucked up the timeline, but that he's going to fix everything. Step one: Kick Wes' ass for getting too close to Alex's fiance. Show Over!

Next Time: More of the same, really.