PR:RPM Episode 2 - "Fade to Black" Discussion

[GoldPhoenixRanger]

This is the discussion thread for the second episode of Power Rangers: RPM which will air on ABC on Satuday, March 7th at 12:30pm EST.

I'll ask that we wait until then to post here. Also, if there are any mods reading this, it would be appreciative if you could sticky this and lock it until Saturday. Thanks!

-GPR

[Fire Ranger]

Well I think this was a excellent episode also, it has some very mature tones lets hope the whole season goes like this. I also like how Dr. K, they think is a man and no one actually knows who she is yet.


Gotta say I really like the opening also, they don't show Ziggy as a ranger yet, which will kinda leave it a suprise to those who have not seen the preview.

[DaiRed]

The eyes moving on the zords kind of take away from the seriousness of the show.
Something I thought I'd never see on Power Rangers: a brawl in a prison. Nice.
Ziggy's funny, but kind of annoying. Even more than Dax.

[coolbluetj]

Just finished F2B...again another different take on the second episode of the new season...I like the fight scenes and the zord battle. Though I wish there was more megazord fighting but I didn't mind the shorten of that for the drama part. I did feel the Ziggy-Dillon-in-jail-you-can-join-us-to-get-out-of-here plot was the same with Jack and Z from SPD just a different spin. Again I feel character development for other three was not really address...Summer is like Lily seeing the good in people...that's all I got...but I'm going to stay open minded to seeing what the next eps bring for the other two. I really like Ziggy he is the prefect silly balance not like Chip and Dax who could become annoying...kinda a mix between Connor and Bridge for me at least.

I'm going to be interested to see how future ranger battles inside the dome will go. Since the shield had to be down for this one to occur. I'm thinking the female human looking robot will be the one to break the shields here and there to allow robots to enter the dome through out episodes.

Dr. K's voice does not sound like a man to me what so ever...strange how everyone else thinks it's a man. I feel like this is Boukenger with Mr. Voice actually being a female...only the voice sounds like a female...but anyway I'm really looking forward to seeing how the "mature" half of the season goes before switching to what I'm assuming a less mature tone.

[Green Mystic Ranger]

Great episode, you can really see how much more mature they tried to make it from the past seasons. Ziggy again, really funny and still my favorite. Dillon's fight in jail was amazingly put together and the ending of him asking ''Do I get to choose my own color?'' was a nice addition aswell.

[Green Elephant]

My guess is that a new person will attempt to get into the city in every episode, hence the shields go down and Venjix attacks.

Other plot predictions (Sentai names are in quotes)

They debut "Carrigator" as a Zord that malfunctioned during a point where Ziggy and Dillon have a fight, they have to work together to calm him down.

"Antenna Banki" takes over the radio frequencies and brainwashes Col. Truman and the Rangers into lowering the shields. Only Dillon is unaffected because he is a cyborg.

"Horonderthal" is a prototype (from a machine's POV, prototypes are ancestors).

Venjix's brain will transfer into the destroyed body of General Crunch to create "Yogoshimacritien"

[Razor]

I literally just finished with Fade to Black. I'm a little disappointed to be honest. With a title like "Fade To Black" I thought for sure they were gonna get down to business and Dillon was gonna become the black ranger.

But that aside, that was awesome. Dillon tossed all those inmates like salad. lol Totally badass. Too bad they're not gonna make him Red Ranger. Oh well. Loved it anyway. And who is this Dr. K?

And let me just say: Ziggy? Oh my God! lol He had the guards listening to him and eating popcorn. Classic.

[GoldPhoenixRanger]

But that aside, that was awesome. Dillon tossed all those inmates like salad. lol Totally badass. Too bad they're not gonna make him Red Ranger. Oh well. Loved it anyway. And who is this Dr. K?

Dr. K is the scientist that created the RPM ranger technology as well as the zords and all of the other technology used in Corinth City.

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In terms of the episode I thought it was good. The prison fight was classic, Dillion is a total badass. I look foward to seeing him and Ziggy joining the team......and speaking of Ziggy he reminds me of a cross between Bridge and Xander. Definatley want to see more of this!

-GPR

[DarkWolf21]

Overall, I loved it. The prison seen was very well put together. My favorite part was the ending when Dillon was in chains lol :D

[Razor]

Dr. K is the scientist that created the RPM ranger technology as well as the zords and all of the other technology used in Corinth City.

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In terms of the episode I thought it was good. The prison fight was classic, Dillion is a total badass. I look foward to seeing him and Ziggy joining the team......and speaking of Ziggy he reminds me of a cross between Bridge and Xander. Definatley want to see more of this!

-GPR

No, I mean what's Dr. K's true identity? "she" sounds just like Dimitira.

[GoldPhoenixRanger]

Ah, check the first post of the "Power Rangers:RPM Information/Discussion Thread. There is a link to a picture of what Dr. K actually looks like. You can also see and hear her in the official promo, which is still all over the net.

-GPR

[SilverTigerRanger]

My thoughts on this episode:

A fair attempt. Seeing them bring out their zords through the symbols on their suits was okay, though I expected them to say the names of their zords while inserting the engine souls.

[coolbluetj]

My thoughts on this episode:

A fair attempt. Seeing them bring out their zords through the symbols on their suits was okay, though I expected them to say the names of their zords while inserting the engine souls.

They did say the names of the zords. "Activating Eagle Zord, Lion Hauler, and Bear Crawler"

[ForeverBlue]

Once again...excellent! :D

[Super Jeff]

I liked it how it beat the formula of the show. It didn't end with a zord battle. Instead we get a fight secen in jail. That was classic!.

[mbozzo]

"Fade To Black' is a good episode. The bad guys tried to destroy Cornith (which might become SPD's New Tech City, if this series take place before SPD) and get clobbered. Dillion and Ziggy find themselves in jail and Ziggy want to get out. It seem that the other prisoners knew Ziggy. Has he being in this jail before?

[Twilight Legacy]

I loved this episode, I was kind of iffy about the series not sure how it would turn out but Dillon and Ziggy have me hooked. And I loved the jail fighting scene! I must say Ziggy is pretty funny :)

[Ranger Yellow]

Out of all the comic reliefs, Ziggy has them whipped. Fade to Black was awesome. Excellent start, a much stronger start than Jungle Fury, or should I even try to compare? Nah, but I love how this season is starting out.

[Rita/Zedd]

I loved it.

*Ziggy is just awesome and he's kind of cocky too.
*I hope Dillon don't end up like Mack with all of this robot-Human thing.
*And Venjix created something evil,dangerous, and powerful and it turn out to be a woman lol

[Fire Wolf Ranger]

loved the zord calling.I hope Dr. K can explain how that works.I think this definatly takes place after spd.Am I the only one thats getting a whole terminator/lost Galaxy vibe here?

[2580]

Am I the only one thats getting a whole terminator/lost Galaxy vibe here?

I'm getting that vibe, but I would add Mad Max and The Matrix to the mix.

I liked how they had all five Ranger suits on display in glass cases, which seemed reminiscent of the glass display cases in the Zeo Power Chamber. I just wonder if the suits stay in the cases until the Rangers morph like how the Dekaranger henshin worked or if the suits on display are just replicas made out of normal materials. I also liked the High Octane Megazord's finishing move, which seemed like the Turbo Megazord's finishing move from T:APRM on steroids. :)

[Fire Wolf Ranger]

I'm getting that vibe, but I would add Mad Max and The Matrix to the mix. :)

Yeah,Dillon is my fav ranger so far.I wonder what his thing is though with the lollipops?Its not that it takes away from his bad ass aura,but its just odd to see.

[Titanium Ranger]

Add Eagle Eye to the mix of Matrix and Terminator and whatnot lol. Venjix even has a single red dot that blinks, like an eye. Not that I mind that of course. It provides a nice enough backdrop and works well into the story.

Loved this episode as well. Ziggy really brings about the humour without making it seem forced, as it has been in the past seasons. Dillon though, was awesome in this. His character's shaping up nicely and like I said, I have a feel his story will be different from Mack's.

It's amazing how you can barely tell the Go-on footage is there. The only thing unexplained here is the eyes on the zords and their cartoonish design, but for once I'm interested in the zord fights. The way they were introduced really made you see (for once in a looong time) exactly why the rangers HAVE to resort to huge fighting machines (not just because the monsters grow large after being defeated either). Nothing seemed forced, not even the rangers. And the suits actually look cooler here, dunno why lol. The way they call on the zords is quite JF/Geki-ish, but it works for me since it's definitely cooler than the sentai counterpart. I also love the morph sequence.. very cool, especially when they're posing.

Wait a minute, did I mention something... JAIL? We saw the inside of a frickin jail... on frickin Power Rangers! lol. I have to say that was quite a surprise, seeing an actual prison (even though it was just a cave) where the prisoners were actually gruff and intimidating (till Dillon stepped up). What's surprising about this is that it wasn't in some high-tech facility or some place that looked clean, for lack of a better word.

The Summer-Dillon interaction is something to see. We get to see both their characters developing. Summer would've been a typical Yellow Ranger if she hadn't had the last word with Dillon. A strong character and she doesn't overact like Lily tended to (don't gang up on me, it's just an opinion of mine..)

No, I mean what's Dr. K's true identity? "she" sounds just like Dimitira.

lol I could've sworn "she" sounded like Scott at the time when she first spoke to Dillon. When Scott said something right after that, I thought that as Dr. K still speaking lol.
Now that you think about it, didn't Summer say "The man behind the ranger technology"? I've seen the trailer... apparently Dr. K is a lady but still, it's something I found odd.

[Razor]

Well if that picture I seen in the other thread, is any indication, Dr. K definitely is NOT Dimitria, but is indeed another woman. lol

[Titanium Ranger]

Well if that picture I seen in the other thread, is any indication, Dr. K definitely is NOT Dimitria, but is indeed another woman. lol

And according to the trailer, she's short too... lol

[Jacen Solo]

Episode 2: Fade to Black
Rating: 5/5

This episode was tough to rate. The cafeteria scenes with Dillon and Ziggy could so easily have either dragged the episode down or pulled it up. As it is, I felt a little of both. Sure it's great to see a friendship of sorts building between the two future Rangers, and while the fight scene in the cafeteria was awesome, it seemed a little over the top concerning the catalyst was a dish of red Jello. But I can easily forgive that as, first off, it was funny, and second, this is a kid's show. I'm having to remind myself of that more with RPM given that this series seems so much darker.

The interrogation scenes were neat (but a little long-winded on Ziggy's side). I like that Colonel Truman and Co. aren't taking the matter of Dillon lightly. He has Venjix technology inside of his body and that could pose a very serious threat. Will their decision to let him serve as Black Ranger save the world or destroy it? I like how Summer called Dillon out immediately on his moodiness. That's a subplot we've seen many times on Power Rangers and, like the subplot with cyborg-Dillon, it's nice they are addressing it right away. Too often the first episodes of Power Rangers are all about the new powers and new weapons, and character flaws that are introduced but will take an entire season to be addressed again. Casey's feelings of inadequacy at Pai Zhua, for instance. Or worse yet, when the flaw is introduced and then resolved right that episode. We saw that a lot in the early days of Power Rangers, but that was the way of children's television -- and Power Rangers -- back then. But as a for instance, Will's "I've learned the importance of we, not I," which he learned in the third episode of Overdrive and was never mentioned again until the finale. But our future Black Ranger seems like a character it's going to take some real time to crack his mysteries.

Is Dillon's moodiness just an act? Well, speaking as someone who can be rather moody at times, it can be overcome if one simply makes an honest effort. That's certainly not to say it isn't hard, but I also have friends who help me to pull out of it. And Summer clearly wants to be Dillon's friend, or at the very least, is showing her gratitude for him having saved her earlier. I honestly think Summer could crack Dillon's rough exterior but it will likely take some time. And trust. Just how much does Dillon know?

The battle sequences were fun. It's clear that Scott, Flynn, and Summer work well as a team and that Scott has a real sense of leadership. Obviously they've been a team for quite awhile at this point and have had time to work those things out. It will be interesting to see how that sense of team will be affected with the additions of Dillon and Ziggy to the team. I like the way the zords are summoned as small vehicles and turned into the larger vehicles by the Rangers.

Final thoughts: the acting was once again excellent, especially so in the scenes between Summer and Dillon. Rose McIver and Daniel Ewing really have a presence in their scenes, and quite the chemistry between the two young actors and their characters. The emergence of Tenaya 7 will prove an interesting puzzle and terrible challenge for the heroes; I suspect she will be used to get in close to the Rangers, especially now they've accepted Dillon on their team.

A lot of Star Wars homages in this episode, too! Dillon pounding his car (his "bucket of bolts") into action after nothing else would work, and the prisoner's statement to Ziggy: "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here, after what you pulled." Five out of five.

[RPM Green]

it was excellent! although, i don't see first episode of RPM yet.. anyways, i like all of those rangers! they are great! so does Ziggy, he's funny dude.. i like one where he talked to the guards lol

ph yeah, Megazord Battle scene was awesome!

[Khayotica]

The only complaint I have about RPM so far is in direct opposition to the opinions shared by most people on this thread. While the summoning and battles themselves look cool, I don't really like the design of the new Megazord. What with the three toy-like faces peering out in the front. Other than that, I think this series is shaping up to be one of the greatest. The interaction between Summer and Dillon is very intriguing. Judging so far, I think Summer is going to do for Dillon what Ashley did for Andros in PRiS, which is cracking his cold exterior and proving he is capable of caring about someone. I definitely see another of the truly rare "real" romances brewing between those two. Not to mention, Dillon is a fucking badass. Combine the brooding, lone wolf aspects of Andros with the powerful, commanding presence of Jason, and you have the formula for a truly memorable black ranger. The rivalry that has already formed between Dillon and Scott is reminiscent of the one initially shared by Tommy and Jason back in MMPR, which will undoubtedly lead to some interesting character development, and in the end, and indomitable friendship. I look forward to seeing what the rest of RPM has to offer. For the first time I have to say, good job Disney!

[2580]

Combine the brooding, lone wolf aspects of Andros with the powerful, commanding presence of Jason, and you have the formula for a truly memorable black ranger.

Wolves are pack animals, so "lone wolf" is just an oxymoron of sorts. I'm not trying to attack you or anything, it's just that when I hear a common misconception I feel a strong desire to speak up. :)

[The_Green_Ranger]

seems to be the most mature series. Very good series so far, wow...