Power Rangers HyperForce Episode 9 Impressions – Enter Dino Thunder

Last night was the 9th episode of Power Rangers HyperForce, and it featured none other than Jason […]

January 3, 2018, 12:58pm

Last night was the 9th episode of Power Rangers HyperForce, and it featured none other than Jason David Frank, so expectations were high. So, did it deliver?

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Spoilers obviously for Power Rangers HyperForce episode 9, so if you haven’t watched it yet you might want to turn back.

To set the stage, Marv, Vesper, Eddie, and Chloe were stranded at the North Pole after the events of the holiday episode (thanks a lot, Santa!), but Jack, Alpha 55, and a mystery guest manage to use the Time Ship to track them down. It’s been 3 weeks since the last adventure, and in that time Jack managed to run into Dr. Tommy Oliver along the way. It is also noted that this adventure takes place 3 months after the conclusion of Dino Thunder.

Dr. Tommy Oliver is, of course, Jason David Frank’s Dino Thunder interpretation of the character, who had become a paleontologist and ends up discovering (along with Anton Mercer) the dino gems. The Rangers find themselves in the year 2005 thanks to a time anomaly involving Mercer, and they team up with Dr. Oliver to track him down.

Okay, so now to the fun stuff. Jason David Frank took a bit to settle in, as he had never really roleplayed like this before, but the good news is by around hour 2 he seemed to be much more comfortable. He started cracking more jokes (in character), and even referencing some Mighty Morphin stuff much to the delight of fans, including that perfect “still a little bitter towards pink” line.

While JDF got used to the format, the other Rangers quickly helped to get him acclimated, especially Jack (Paul Schreier), who of course worked with Frank many times over the years as Bulk. Frank also quickly developed a great rapport with Marv (Peter Sudarso), Eddie (Andre Meadows), and of course Vesper (Cristina Vee), who had a knack for making him uncomfortable. You’d be uncomfortable too if someone kept sneaking up on your saying things like “I can drive the ship with my mind!”

Small touches like Dr. Oliver telling the team to take their shoes off before entering his lab or showing the Rangers that the Brachiozord has an 8-track and a glove compartment were standout moments, as was Oliver taking a selfie atop the Zord with Marv. The episode got even better though with a variety of musical moments, including Vesper singing a song of impending doom, Chloe singing a song to knock Vesper out of a beserk haze, and a huge beatboxing ensemble that resulted in Malika rapping as Alpha 55.

The MVP’s of this episode were Marv, Eddie, and Vesper, as all three had several highlights throughout the show. The story is moving in some interesting directions too, especially with that Zordon name drop later in the episode, and could be teasing a move toIn Space, Turbo, or Zeo in the future.

In short, it was another great episode, especially for those newer to the tabletop roleplaying format, who watched someone that isn’t as experienced in the genre quickly get acclimated and start to have fun.

Power Rangers: HyperForce airs on Twitch Tuesdays at 8 pm CST.