Fight Against Fate

Power Rangers: Time Force, Episode 29

Original Airdate: 8-25-2001

Last Time: Jen was worried about fucking up the future with her....imperfect leadership, and Alex came back from the future, as well as the dead, to explain that she didn't have to worry about such things....because her and the other chuckleheads had already broken the future good. Meanwhile, Ransik scored some more serum and almost killed Mr. Collins in the process. Now who will be relentlessly mercenary?

Alex explains that he didn't really die in the first episode, but that there's no time for a real explanation, as he takes the team to his timeship.

At the hospital, Mr. Collins is about to go under the knife, and Eric looks about as pensive as a man in a red beret can. Let's face it, red berets are the jauntiest headgear a soldier can wear. Credits!

Back in the new timeship, Alex starts dressing the team down for their chronic suckitude. Trip asks how exactly the future was changed, and Alex evades the question because...well, I don't the writers really thought this plot through. Alex then explains that Frax is building a giant robot, and that he doesn't trust the team to defeat it, so he's taking back the position of Red Ranger. Everyone objects, but Alex explains that it's Wes' destiny to take over his father's company. Wes, in perhaps my favorite moment of Wes being Wes, tries to convince the man who came from the future with the express purpose of not allowing the future to be changed in any way, that he intends to chart his own fate. Alex shuts Wes up by telling him that Mr. Collins is about to die. Wes doesn't believe him, but Eric calls in to tell Wes that his father's in hospital, which somehow convinces Wes to hand in his morpher.

At the hospital, some ruthless business are already worried about who's going to take over the business, because they're heartless capitalists and all that. Wes shows up and sees that his father's not looking too good, and one of the corporate raiders tries to convince Wes to take over the family business.

Back at the clock tower, Alex starts to realize exactly how crappy his team really is when he sees their ramshackle base of operations. Anyway, we're supposed to hate Alex, so he orders the team into their uniforms. He also finds a polaroid of Wes kissing Jen and is rather unhappy at the prospect of his fiance banging his identical forefather. Jen asks why Alex is being so cold, and Alex explains that the future is kind of unravelling and that's a pretty big deal. Alex, using his future knowledge, then accurately predicts the coming of Frax's robot, and gets the megazord ready in advance.

The giant robot, named Dragontron, surfaces and Alex explains that there's only one weak spot on the robot, and if they fuck it up, they're all very, very dead.

Meanwhile, Wes has agreed to take over his father's company and gets introduced at a board meeting that Eric is attending. Unsurprisingly, Eric is rather irritated that Senor Fuckup managed to take control of the company despite having zero business experience or acumen.

Back at the fight, Alex's ambush almost works, but then goes horribly, horribly awry. Eric, still at the board meeting, is informed of the situation, but Wes is forced to stay. The Q-Rex enters the fray, but doesn't really help much. In the heat of the battle, Jen accidentally calls Alex "Wes," which doesn't seem to bother him overmuch, as he's a professional.

Conversely, in Wes' imagination, without him, the Rangers are all getting killed and bemoaning the fact that Wes would certainly have saved them had he been there. In reality, the Rangers are able to drive Dragontron off, albeit intact.

Later, Alex dresses down the team for generally sucking, and team starts grumbling behind his back. Katie wonders why he's so mad at the team. Well, Katie, you see, the purpose of your team was to ensure that the future didn't get destroyed....and the future is getting destroyed. That might have something to do with it.

Wes goes to the hosptial to see his dad, who's still in a coma. To Be Continued!

Next Time: The Status Quo gets restored....hard.