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Old 12/02/14, 11:35 AM   #1
Luchinni
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Default Most Layered-Lines in Power Rangers

Yes, they may be just lines from a kid's show. That's what they can be dismissed as. But I'm talking about those rare nuggets that if need be, can be analyzed for a deeper meaning. Lines that when you get them, resonate on a level that may not be intended for specific, maybe younger audiences. You know which ones I'm talking about. Every once in a while you'll hear a line that rings so true for the character speaking them it also feels like a gift from the writers to you: the much older, much more complex fan who, like me, eats up these little moments and is satisfied enough with them afterwards to sit through two seasons of Samurai, hoping for more.

3: "I'm not trying to get things back to the way they were." ("A Golden Homecoming", Jason and Tommy, Power Rangers Zeo)

Having carbon-copies of events from MMPR is one thing (Ugh, Megaforce), but referencing specific continuity from past seasons and giving closure to issues we fans didn't even feel needed to be resolved? That's awesome. It's no secret that Jason felt responsible for Tommy losing his powers, but then Tommy gets his White Ranger powers, is straight up given leadership of the team, and Jason HAS NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT. Obviously we all know this had to do with what was going on behind the scenes, but as fans, we wanted some crumb, a tidbit of closure: someone to address the awkward situation that the CHARACTERS must have been going through. Something, ANYTHING! I would have been fine with Alpha saying: "Jason sure took that well". ANYTHING. Maybe the kids didn't care and just wanted to see some new toys, but I wanted to know more! But we didn't get that, so we all moved on and accepted things until this moment in Zeo. Right there, everything that happened with Jason leaving, Tommy taking over the team, the question of their relationship still being the same; all addressed in one simple little blurb while Jason punches a heavy bag. The old and the new come together and we can finally move on (Zeo did this a few times, with Kimberly's letter and Billy leaving, but this for me was the most deserving).

2: "Let's see what sound you make when you explode." ("Heroes Among Us", Gem, Power Rangers RPM)

So bad-ass. And at the same time, conveys all the child-like mentality of Gem and Gemma. Gem genuinely enjoys fighting and destroying the enemy. There is no strategy (Scott) or moral dilemma (Dillon), he just wants to wreck shop. For me, this line makes you wonder what kind of sick puppy Gem would have become had he not his sister's companionship and the common enemy of Venjix's forces to focus his curiosity/intelligence/rage on. This line totally captures the actually-very-scary thought of what kind of person (monster) Gem might have been on the other side of the coin.

1: "I JUST WANTED TO GO OUTSIDE!" ("Dr.K", Dr. K, Power Rangers RPM)

I know I'm gonna get dinged for having two RPM moments on here, but these two were just too good to overlook. RPM on the whole was the most mature series we've been lucky enough to get. But that single line, cried by Dr. K as she's carried away by agents after she realizes she has doomed humanity was conveyed with so much desperation, shame and regret in her delivery; it carried a weight with with it I'm not so sure anyone under a certain age could fully understand. It was such a simple line but it had so many layers to it. I know when I saw it as an adult, I got chills. It captured all the sadness of Dr. K's story: child abduction, brain-washing, and turning gifted children into living weapons that were disposable as soon as their purpose was served. She genuinely didn't even realize she was doing something wrong until it was too late. Dr. K created Venjix. A lot of us saw that coming. And she said a lot things about it once it was out in the open. But that one line for me was the most mature, and most-complex-to-understand moment in Power Rangers History. It offered a glimpse into Dr. K's head and I think it's the moment where she really grew up and let go of (most of) her child-like ways of thinking and became the cold, mission-driven leader we meet when the series begins. And the best thing about this line? You could have taken it out of the scene and it STILL would have had the same emotional impact if she was just saying "No!!" and being dragged out of the room.

I know I'm missing a bunch but that's where you come in.
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Old 12/02/14, 11:36 AM   #2
Timegold
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Default Re: Most Layered-Lines in Power Rangers

"Well, maybe it was, but the future isn't written in stone. We each make our own destiny." -Wes, Power Rangers Time Force

Sure, stones may erode, but they're relatively well preserved throughout eons of history - just consider the Rosetta Stone and what records it's maintained. But there's an obvious asymmetry between the past and the future, in that one is known and unalterable, while the other is uncertain and dynamic. From Wes's perspective, his course has yet to be set, and he still has the opportunity to change it.

In comes Time Force. Upon going back a millennium, the asymmetry is flipped, in that the past is in danger of being altered and their mission is to preserve the future. The Time Force Rangers seem to be stuck on their destinies, but Wes, who has little experience with time travel, doesn't see it that way. By telling them that their destinies are not set in stone, he inspired them to produce change, to not be bound by the rigid rules that the chain of command and the timestream have put in place. It's a line embedded with hope and a thematic message, it's why Wes rightfully deserved to be the focus character even without being the leader.

The corresponding line from Mirai Sentai Timeranger, "Even if we can't change the future, we can change our tomorrows," carries similar weight, although there's slightly more impact in that all the main characters have pasts to overcome and futures to be written. And there's some symbolism in that Tatsuya runs Tomorrow Research, and due to the scale disparity between future and tomorrow, in that some destinies are unalterable (thanks to chaos theory).
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Old 12/02/14, 01:11 PM   #3
MattEmily
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Default Re: Most Layered-Lines in Power Rangers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luchinni View Post
3: "I'm not trying to get things back to the way they were." ("A Golden Homecoming", Jason and Tommy, Power Rangers Zeo)
That line was always so badly written since it's not like anything changed when Tommy returned and became the White Ranger as well as the leader. Jason as a character was still there... sure Austin had already left by the time they got to dubbing work on that episode but it still doesn't change the fact that Jason himself didn't bring up any issues at all with Tommy becoming the new leader while he was still there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luchinni View Post
1: "I JUST WANTED TO GO OUTSIDE!" ("Dr.K", Dr. K, Power Rangers RPM)

I know I'm gonna get dinged for having two RPM moments on here, but these two were just too good to overlook. RPM on the whole was the most mature series we've been lucky enough to get. But that single line, cried by Dr. K as she's carried away by agents after she realizes she has doomed humanity was conveyed with so much desperation, shame and regret in her delivery; it carried a weight with with it I'm not so sure anyone under a certain age could fully understand. It was such a simple line but it had so many layers to it. I know when I saw it as an adult, I got chills. It captured all the sadness of Dr. K's story: child abduction, brain-washing, and turning gifted children into living weapons that were disposable as soon as their purpose was served. She genuinely didn't even realize she was doing something wrong until it was too late. Dr. K created Venjix. A lot of us saw that coming. And she said a lot things about it once it was out in the open. But that one line for me was the most mature, and most-complex-to-understand moment in Power Rangers History. It offered a glimpse into Dr. K's head and I think it's the moment where she really grew up and let go of (most of) her child-like ways of thinking and became the cold, mission-driven leader we meet when the series begins. And the best thing about this line? You could have taken it out of the scene and it STILL would have had the same emotional impact if she was just saying "No!!" and being dragged out of the room.
I disagree with removing the line, the line was perfect exactly as it was written and Olivia acted it out well as well and she certainly conveyed the emotion that she should have conveyed but I don't get where the brainwashing part comes from, there was no brainwashing going on, just a bunch of people lying to her for their own agenda.
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