Well, that was an interesting first episode, wasn't it, kids? Let's press on.
Previously, on Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue—The Livebloggening, we get to see the new Lightspeed Rangers for the first time. And we get to see the conflict that will be the backdrop for this series. Also, there was gushing, blaming, and lots of enjoyment.
Anyway, enough with that small recap, let's continue on with...
Episode 2: Lightspeed Teamwork, or How Joel Learns to Not Be a Tool
After the recap of what happened last episode (by the way, get used to seeing some scenes from that over and over again), we cut to Demon Paradisico. DP has an idea: try to find the Rangers' base and destroy them along with it. Problem? It's underwater. And these demons hate water. Why? Well, that bit will be explored later.
Vypra thinks that the queen won't be pleased, and the demons think of what they can do. So they summon Jinxer, the resident monster-maker of the series, and DP tells him that they need a monster. And what kind of monster does DP want? A monster capable of wiping the entire city off the face of the Earth.
Yeesh. Well, at least it isn't the overused "take over the world" thing as seen dozens of times.
So Jinxer obeys, and we cut to the Lightspeed Aquabase. From there, Joel tries to charm the ladies, but they don't pay much of the attention to him. And then he bumps into—wait, no, accidentally crashes into—Ms. Angela Fairweather, portrayed by former Miss Mississippi winner and Miss America contestant Monica Louwerens. Anyway, Ms. Fairweather loses her glasses after she falls, and Joel apologizes. However, upon looking at her, he's in love.
Ladies and gentlemen, our romance arc for the season.
And we fade into opening credits, as per usual.
After the opening credits, we see Ms. Fairweather putting her glasses on. She looks on in dismay at the fallen cart. Joel, being the ladies' man he wants to be, helps her up and picks up the cart as well as some stuff that also fell. The two introduce themselves, and Ms. Fairweather tells Joel that he's in a hurry.
What does Joel come up with? He has a top-secret meeting with Captain Mitchell. One of the life-or-death situations. Ms. Fairweather notes that it sounds very dangerous, and Joel replies that danger comes with the job. Complete with some fairly dramatic poses.
He then shows his Rescue Morpher, and he tells her that he's the Green Ranger. However, during one of the smoothtalkings, Dana calls Joel out, telling him that he's supposed to be in the meeting already. Joel tries desperately to shut it off.
Ha!
Joel then tells Ms. Fairweather that he'll see her again, and the scientist replies that she has a feeling that they're destined to meet again. Ooh. So Joel leaves to the meeting.
Speaking of, cut to the very meeting itself! Captain Mitchell leads the Rangers to the Weapons Lab, where every weapon designed to defeat the demons are invented, created, and tested. We even get to see a test of the Rescue Blaster's extinguisher mode as it puts out a huge flame. Later, he introduces the Rangers to Ms. Fairweather, who has designed everything, from the morphers to the weapons.
Ms. Fairweather explains about what her job is and how Diabolico Prime will stop at nothing to destroy Mariner Bay. Her job, by the way? To make sure that the Rangers stay one step ahead of him and his monsters.
Which is pretty damn brilliant.
And we get a look at what their new Zords will be, the Rail Rescues. Kelsey wonders if they're just trains, but Ms. Fairweather assures her that they're much more than trains.
Cut to a flower shop, and Joel's out buying flowers when he should be in the meeting. Because, you know, it's important. However, a huge-ass asteroid appears and hits in the center of the city!
Cut back to the Aquabase, and the alarms are going off. Captain Mitchell receives the news that a gigantic rock has landed. The Rangers and Ms. Fairweather see it for themselves on the monitor, and the asteroid's transforming. Rising from the area is the newest Demon of the Week, Magmavore.
Yeesh.
Captain Mitchell tells the Rangers that it's time to put the Rail Rescues to the test. Carter gladly accepts the mission, but Chad doesn't know if he's ready. Since, you know, he has just been introduced to the new Zords. Kelsey tells Chad that none of them are, but good news! Ms. Fairweather tells them that the Rail Rescues are designed to help them automatically.
That's pretty helpful and understandable.
So the four Rangers head off to the Rail Rescues, ready to face against Magmavore. As they walk off, Joel appears with the flowers, looking for Ms. Fairweather. Uh...dude...did you just see your own teammates walking off to face the danger?
Kids and their crazy romances these days. Heh.
Captain Mitchell catches Joel and asks where he's been. Joel replies that he was on a secret mission. So secret, even Captain Mitchell doesn't know about it. The captain, presumably wanting to facepalm, asks, "At the flower shop?"
Whoops. Guess he did know after all.
He then tells Joel that he's lucky that there's no time to berate him, and he should get going. So Joel leaves with his likely-annoyed teammates.
Or presumably after they've long left, because we now see the monster fight. Magmavore glows, and he attacks with flying molten lava, which hit the likely (we hope) empty buildings. And cut back to the Aquabase, and...wait, no, Joel arrives just in time, flowers still in his hands, as he tells the other Rangers to wait for him. Carter tells a scientist that they're ready, and as they descend, they morph.
The battle lines are drawn. An Aquabase worker gives Captain Mitchell his headset in order to lead the Rangers, if need be. The Rangers themselves go to the Rail Rescues. As soon as they're inside, the Train Bay rises to the surface, and we get a long sequence of that—the hatches open, and the Train Bay appears after a while. Then...
...we also get to see the tracks that the Rail Rescues will use as a random group of Japanese citizens watch on. And after the hatches for the Rail Rescues open up, the Zords go onto the track, and the railcars link to one another.
Also, a Captain Obvious note. It's fucking massive compared to the tiny regular cars.
As the Rangers are amazed by how awesome the Rail Rescues are, cut back to Magmavore wreaking havoc. The lava is overflowing, buildings are getting destroyed, and the city is in peril. Meanwhile, the Rail Rescues are still on their way until the Rangers finally arrive to where the demon's located.
And he's still firing at buildings.
Anyway, Carter tells Captain Mitchell that they're here, and the captain orders them to go to their own Rail Rescues. Which they do. And so we find out the different Rail Rescues...
- Carter's is Pyro Rescue 1, modeled after...yes, you guessed it...a fire truck.
- Chad's is Aqua Rescue 2, a vehicle that's able to use water attacks.
- Joel's is Aero Rescue 3, a helicopter of sorts. Oh, and he can't wait to try some stunts in his Rail Rescue, but Captain Mitchell tells him to stay focused. Also, the captain himself, along with Ms. Fairweather, is amused by the Green Ranger's comment.
- Kelsey's is Haz Rescue 4.
- Dana's is Med Rescue 5, modeled after an ambulance.
As the Rail Rescues roll out, Carter picks up a signal inside a building. In there, some people are crying out for help. And they're stuck in an elevator.
Damn elevators, the spawn of evil that can get stuck at times.
So the Rangers head to that building but OH HOLY SHIT IT'S GONNA FALL! And to make matters worse, the elevator lights go out, and the mom tells the kids that everything's going to be okay. Outside the building, the Rangers realize that the building's also surrounded by lava. So what do they do? Try to cool it down to molten rock.
Carter asks Joel if he can do it, and Joel replies, "Are you kidding? With this thing, I can go anywhere!" However...there's a problem. His aircraft is not strong enough, as noted by Ms. Fairweather.
Uh-oh.
Captain Mitchell instead tells Joel to work with the other Rangers together, but he becomes an asshole and tells the captain that he's sure that he can do it alone. Of course, they still don't allow him to do it alone, and he must combine the Rescue Vehicles.
Dammit, Joel, get it together!
Yep, you guessed it, Joel's still sure he can do it alone, but if it makes the captain happy, he'll follow orders. So his Aero Rescue 3 combines with Chad's Aqua Rescue 2 via the magnetic hooks, and Chad thanks Joel for the lift.
Next, the girls' Rescue Vehicles form the legs for the Aqua Rescue 2, and Chad uses the water cannons to extinguish the fire and lava. That part of the mission? Success!
Carter now arrives with the Pyro Rescue 1, with Kelsey and Dana by his side. He uses the Lightspeed Ladder Arms to hold the building as the three Rangers climb up. Oh, and one of the ladder arms uses a Ladder Crush, forming a hole in which they can get in.
Impressive. And damn...Carter's pretty awesome.
...dammit.
Anyway...Carter, Kelsey, and Dana split up in order to find the elevator. And they're running out of time, as debris are falling and the mom is struggling to stay alive. Eventually, Kelsey finds the trapped citizens, and she tells them to hang on. She climbs inside the elevator...which, for the record, is close to being sent to a ring of fire.
Kelsey manages to get to the citizens, but they're unconscious. Ouch. And to make matters worse? The Lightspeed Ladder Arms can't hold on much longer. And the cables are threatening to snap, the elevator preparing to send Kelsey and the citizens to a fiery death.
What are they going to do?
Well, if there's a problem, yo, Carter will solve it. He's almost there, and he quickly runs to the elevator area. Dana appears and tells him that they need to get out of here.
Carter's response? Hell no, they're not going to leave. They need to rescue the citizens first.
Awesome. Carter Grayson, always willing to put his life on the line to save the people first. Another reason why you shouldn't fuck with him, bitches.
...oh, damn it!
And then the fire's about to come their way, and Dana thinks that they're not going to have any time. Carter responds that they'll have to make time, and they have to get the citizens out first. He then tells the Aquabase that they'll need some help.
Oh, Carter, why are you so fucking wonderful? Willing to save lives and your bravery...(le sigh)
Oh, and what's the help the Aquabase is sending? The Rescue Bird! Captain Mitchell tells Carter about the new toy weapon, and the Red Ranger summons it. He gets the Rescue Drill, and...
...is it just me, or is The Power of Friendship Reality Subtext coming into play for me?
...anyway, with the Rescue Drill, Carter opens up the doors to the elevator. Meanwhile, the mother is still struggling to stay alive, but luckily, the Red Ranger manages to find the family and Kelsey. So the Rangers lead the citizens to safety.
Once again, Carter Grayson is not one to be underestimated. Because he's awesome.
(blush)
Cut to outside. The lava continues to rage, and Magmavore finally notices the Rangers. He starts to walk towards the building.
Damn, what took him so long?
Joel tells Carter that the monster's back, and so begins a daring rescue out of the damn building. Will they succeed?
As the Lightspeed Ladder Arms are taken out of the building, or at least the one carrying the Rangers and citizens, Carter notices that the monster's getting too close. So what happens? Kelsey and Dana lead the citizens to safety, and Carter re-enters the Pyro Rescue 1. The Ladder Arms retract, and as the vehicle goes into reverse, Magmavore smashes the now-empty building.
Whew. That was a close one!
Oh, wait, no, it's not over yet. The Pyro Rescue 1 is then stuck into some rubble, and Magmavore is walking towards Carter. Uh-oh, This Is Gonna Suck...
Joel is then told by Captain Mitchell to save Carter. However? The idiot has another idea. Ms. Fairweather, pissed off (as she should be!) that Joel wants to show off more than save his fucking teammate, yells at him to obey the fucking order. Oh, and she screams that command into Captain Mitchell's headset while the good captain himself is like, "what the hell?"
So Joel uses the magnetic hooks on the Pyro Rescue 1. Carter is surprised that Joel's helping him out, but the Red Ranger warns his teammate that Magmavore's getting closer. Luckily, the Pyro Rescue 1 is lifted off, and Magmavore missed.
Whew. Finally, that's a close one!
Now Carter is ordered to go into Megazord Mode, and he does. With the already-formed Haz Rescue 4, Med Rescue 5, and Aqua Rescue 2 forming the legs and lower part of the torso, respectively, the Pyro Rescue 1 forms the arms and upper part of the torso. As it and Aero Rescue 3 descend onto the formed legs and lower torso, Magmavore shoots more buildings, and the debris hit the two former Rescue Vehicles.
Joel asks just what was up with that, and he tells Magmavore to not play with fire unless if he wants to get burned. So his Aero Rescue 3 shoots at the demon and, after finally descending with the Pyro Rescue 1 once again, forms the head.
And thus, the new toy Megazord, the Lightspeed Megazord, was formed.
The new Megazord walks towards Magmavore, and the demon shoots at it with more molten fireballs. Carter remarks that the demon's hitting them hard, but not hard enough. And with the Lightspeed Ladder Arms prepared, the Lightspeed Megazord uses the Power Thrust to punch the everloving hell out of Magmavore. Numerous times.
Chad thinks that since the demon was sent from the air, they should send him back that way. Carter thinks that it's a good idea, and after the Pre-Mortem One-Liner "I hope you enjoy the flight!", the Lightspeed Megazord throws Magmavore right back into the lava, destroying the demon once and for all.
OR DO THEY?!
In the Aquabase, as the crew celebrates, Ms. Fairweather screams, "YEAH!", and once again, Captain Mitchell gives her a "WTF" look. She straightens out, brushing a lock of her hair away from her face, and calmly says "yes". Ha.
Outside, Joel admits that that was an air show, and Chad congratulates Carter. Natually, being one who's pretty modest about praise and thinks that everyone else should get the spoils, Carter says, "No. Great work to all of us." And so, another crisis has been averted.
For now. Because not to spoil anything, but I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of Magmavore.
Back at the Aquabase, Carter tells Joel that the only way to defeat the demons is if they work as a team. Also, Joel is still carrying the flowers in his hands. Wonder how he managed to hide them in his Zord, if possible. Joel admits to the Red Ranger that he's right, and from now on, he'll concentrate. No more goofing around.
I'll give him five seconds before he doesn't follow through.
Carter is happy to hear it, as well as the other Rangers. Also, Joel did give the flowers to poor Chad. And as Carter says stuff about how the five of them will solve the problems, Joel loses concentration. Why? Enter Ms. Fairweather.
I knew it.
As Carter's words are "blah blah blah" in Joel's head, or the Green Ranger doesn't notice the leader, well, the Sky Cowboy himself walks over to Ms. Fairweather. It takes a second or two for Carter to notice that, yes, Joel didn't follow through. I'm surprised that he isn't facepalming right about now.
Joel snatches the flowers from Chad's hands, and he runs over to Ms. Fairweather. The two go off to talk privately, leaving poor Carter just speechless. Chad just puts a hand on the leader's shoulder as a way to say, "there, there".
Cut to the Weapons Lab. Joel asks if Ms. Fairweather's allowed to be in there, and the answer he received is a "yes". Well, dude, if you were there for the meeting, which you weren't...anyway, Joel thinks that it's great. And he gives Ms. Fairweather the flowers and an autographed picture of himself, which she accepts.
Then Ms. Fairweather asks Joel how the top-secret "mission" went. His reply: it went fine...until some 'expert' tried to tell him how to fly.
(facepalm) Joel, you idiot. You told that to Ms. Fairweather. She's the expert. So of course, she does not take it well.
And it gets worse for him. He then adds that some designer tries to tell him how much power his Zord has. Like he needs any help from a computer geek. Dammit, Joel.
Ms. Fairweather turns around, and she says that the next time the Sky Cowboy wants to overload the engines and explode, this computer geek would just let him do exactly that. In anger, she throws the flowers at him. Whoops.
As the inventor storms off, the other Rangers are whispering and laughing at Joel. And to make matters worse for the Green Ranger (but hilarious in the meantime)? They imitate the Aero Rescue 3 (and presumably also the chances of Ms. Fairweather returning Joel's love) as it crashes and explodes.
Joel looks at the Rangers in confusion, and asks them what she designed. Carter replies, "Everything," and Dana adds, "from our morphers to our Zords." Joel just looks embarrassed as hell, as he should be, and in the final scene, the Rangers comfort him.
If only Joel was effective of watching his words as he does with wooing the ladies, he wouldn't embarrass himself. But...eh.
Anyway, next time on Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue—The Livebloggening...it's a Carter-focused episode.
A Carter-focused episode. Which means that my gushing for his actor will be used.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF—
What happens to Carter in which he gets a low score? What will we find out about him? And can arcadiarika try to prevent the gushing?
All this and more will be revealed on the next Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue—The Livebloggening, Part II!
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