Force From the Future, Part I

Power Rangers: Time Force, Episode 1

Original Airdate: 2-3-2001

Last Time: The Lightspeed Rangers...did something. I don't know, I can't quite remember them. Weren't they based on a submarine or something?

It's the year 3000, so says the voiceover, and all criminals have been arrested, because, well, that's just how futuristic utopias work. All criminals, that is, except for Ransik, our new supervillain who is about ten minutes away from becoming the most successful big bad in Power Rangers history. Anyway, Ransik's holed up in some sort of industrial building, loudly announcing, to no one in particular, that he intends to go back in time and conquer the past. Unfortunately, the Red Ranger immediately shows up to stop him. Ransik should have used his inside voice. Credits! Incidentally, the credits may be the most misleading opening sequence in Ranger history.

Back in the suspiciously unfuturistic future, the Red Ranger is still fighting Ransik. The Red Ranger pulls out a sword so Ransik rips a sword right out of his leg. Shit, Ransik doesn't fuck around. Jen shows up outside the warehouse where the fight is taking place and...doesn't really do much of anything. A bit later, the Red Ranger, who is named Alex, captures Ransik and takes him to a paddywagon....of the future! Okay, well, season over then? Alex and Jen embrace.

Later, in the courtroom of tomorrow, Ransik is being sentenced. A girl with bright pink hair winks at him. Lucas, Tripp and Katie make a little small talk....which is really all they're qualified to do. We're also introduced to Circuit, a robotic owl whose creation is the result of mankind's inhumanity to man. Outside the courtroom, Alex proposes to Jen. Anyway, the judges sentence Ransik to cryogenic imprisoment "for life." Er....I'm pretty sure that's just an incredibly slow death sentence. Everyone applauds, because the future people are basically assholes.

Ransik gets loaded into a prison transport, and the future Rangers are assigned to guard him. You'll be delighted to know that in the future year 3000, vans and motorcycles are still the vehicles of choice. In the van, Ransik makes some vague threats, and then the van stops. The Rangers find the pink haired woman lying in the street. It turns out to be Ransik's daughter, Nadira, and the Rangers come under attack from some sort of futuristic horizotal rotary craft. Ransik escapres with Nadira and his other henchman Frax, who's a robot. Jen tries to stop him, but collapses instead. Ransik laughs evilly, as he will be doing quite often throughout this season.

The Rangers call in to headquarters and get reamed for letting Ransik escape. They are also suspended. Lucas remembers that Tripp is supposed to be telepathic, and probably should have been able to see this coming. Tripp claims that "he can't read every thought." Not the most muscular of defenses.

Later, Ransik decides to break into the cryogenic prison and break a bunch of prisoners out, because he really, really liked Demolition Man and wanted to do a homage. It turns out that the cryogenic process turns monsters into action figures....okay, let's go with it. The guards all get shot by Nadira, but not before the alarm is raised. Alex decides to go and help. Elsewhere, Lucas is kind of upset about being fired, and Tripp uses his plot-dependent psychic powers to find out that Ransik is taking all of the shrunken prisoners fron the cryo-prison. The Rangers decide that if they failed once, they might as well fail again and steal some guy's future car in order to go fuck up again.

Anyway, Ransik is about to go back in time when he sees the Red Ranger coming and decides to kill him before going back in time. Now, when most villains undertake such an action, it ultimately foils there plans. But Ransik does not fuck around, so he beats the fuck out of Alex, waits until Jen and the other Rangers get a nice view, and then kills the Red Ranger. Alex, mortally wounded, gives Jen the Time Force morphers and tells her to stop Ransik, and then dies. Then Jen watches as Ransik and his minions go back in time.

Jen decides, despite her historic amount of suckitude thus far, to steal a time ship and go back in time to pursue Ransik. The time ship is launched by a giant robot hitting so hard that it goes flying through a portal. You know, the future kind of sucks. To Be Continued!

Next Time: Identical Grandchildren! Unappealing Ancillary Characters! Another Generic City in California!