The Whalley Reviews: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Season One (Super Hero Time!)

Does it really need an introduction?

Oh wait! Yes it does!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, *sighs* this show brings back so much memories for me and maybe to all of you too! So let's not waist any more time and get right down to reviewing and tribute...

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Season 1

We begin the series were it takes place in the fictional town of Angel Grove, California. On an exploratory mission, two astronauts discover an extraterrestrial container (referred to as a dumpster as a result of its smell) and breach the unit, inadvertently releasing the evil alien sorceress Rita Repulsa from 10,000 years of confinement. (So... because of two astronauts the Earth is now doomed to have a plague of evil for the next 20 years... huh.) Upon her release, she and her army of evil space aliens set their sights on conquering the nearest planet: Earth. When the wise sage Zordon becomes aware of the release of the evil which he was responsible for capturing so long ago, he orders his robotic assistant Alpha 5 to select five "teenagers with attitude" to defend the Earth from Rita's attacks. The five teens chosen are Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, and Billy Cranston. Zordon gives them the ability to transform into a fighting force known as the Power Rangers, providing them with an arsenal of weapons at their disposal, as well as colossal assault machines called Zords, which can combine into the Megazord. And from then on Rita's monsters kept getting defeated by the Power Rangers so much that she decided that the only way to destroy the Power Rangers is... have one of their own do it. Using her magic, Rita kidnaps and brainwashes a local teen whose fighting skills prove to equal that of Jason's in a martial-arts contest held in Angel Grove. The new teen, Tommy Oliver, passes Rita's tests, becoming the Green Power Ranger. (And of course he was and still is AWESOME!) Entrusted with Rita's Sword of Darkness, the source for the continuance of the evil spell he has fallen victim to, Tommy comes dangerously close to defeating the Power Rangers, especially when Rita causes a solar eclipse that temporarily drains the Megazord's power. However, the Green Ranger is ultimately defeated, and the Sword of Darkness is destroyed by Jason. Now free from Rita's spell, Tommy chooses to use his Green Ranger powers to assist the other Rangers in defeating the evil that gave them to him in the first place. His Zord, the Dragonzord, (also a kickass Zord I might add!)  is reconfigured to enable it to help form more powerful Zord combinations alongside the other Dinozords. As time goes on, Rita focuses her plans on eliminating Tommy in order to regain the powers that she believes belong to her. Using a special wax touched by Tommy when he was evil, Rita uses a magic Green Candle to sever Tommy's link to the Morphing Grid and slowly remove his powers, returning them to her. In the end, Tommy loses his powers, but he is able to prevent Rita from reclaiming it by transferring the remains to another Ranger who can operate them based on their own link to the Morphing Grid. Tommy chooses Jason who, feeling guilt for failing to protect Tommy's powers, accepts them. However, Tommy later returns to the team when the other Rangers' Power Coins are handed over to Rita in exchange for their kidnapped parents. With Zordon's help, Tommy regains his Green Ranger powers and successfully retrieves the other Rangers' Power Coins. However, Tommy's regained powers are only temporary and must be frequently re-charged by Zordon, who mentions that the Green Ranger's powers will ultimately fail. Despite this, Tommy remains determined to continue assisting the other Rangers as long as possible. Man, what a guy! Oh and that's only the first series! Now on to the characters! First up is...

Jason Lee Scott
portrayed by
Austin St. John.

Strong and fearless, At first glance, Jason appears to be the stereotypical jock type, primarily interested in sports particularly martial arts. Beneath the surface, however, he is big-hearted, outgoing, friendly, and always willing to help someone out when it is needed, such as when he takes Billy under his wing and teaches him martial arts to boost his confidence and teach him self-defense. Aside from martial arts, Jason is an accomplished athlete, weight trainer and certified scuba diving instructor. When Zordon first confronts the teens to give them their powers, Jason is the only one who initially believes him. Jason becomes the Red Power Ranger, is given the Power Coin of the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord, obtains the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord, and is made the team leader. He leads the Rangers into many successful battles against Rita's monsters, establishing a rivalry with Rita's number one henchman Goldar. When Tommy is introduced, he becomes competitive rivals with Jason, matching him in a martial arts competition. He maybe very confident, but he does let things get to him when they matter the most. Like when Tommy losses his powers. After saving Tommy he stays behind to fight Goldar to stop the burning Green Candle (Ha.. how original.) to stop Tommy losing his powers, Jason does well in his fight with Goldar, but is recalled into the battle with Rita's Cyclops monster in order to save Tommy's life. Following the failure to destroy the Green Candle, Tommy entrusts Jason with his Power Coin to prevent them falling into Rita's hands again, allowing him access to the Green Ranger's powers. This includes the Dragon Shield and the Dragon Dagger, which also allows him to call the Dragonzord to aid the Rangers, even while Jason controls the Megazord. One thing to note about Jason is that he's a very cunning guy, one of he's most cunning moments is the gambit he plays against Goldar, who kidnaps the parents of Angel Grove High's students, then ransoms them for the Ranger's five Power Coins. Jason would later reveal that though he gave up his Tyrannosaurus Power Coin to Goldar, he kept the Dragon Power Coin. With it, Tommy eventually regains his Green Ranger powers, retrieves the other Ranger's Power Coins and helps the team save their captive parents. Damn this guys cleaver! Jason is by far one the best characters in the whole series and with a kind heart and a strong personalty to never give up, you know he mean business. Next up is...

Zack Taylor
portrayed by
Walter Emanuel Jones.

OK before I begin with him I might as well get it out the first. Yes the Black Ranger is black and the Yellow Ranger is Asian, but according to one of the original creators of the series at a Power Morphicon in 2007 said: "We honestly did not realize what we had done in casting until about the tenth episode in. It was a honest, if horribly racist mistake and we rectified it in future casting." OK, now we've gotten that out of the way. Zack is quick witted and clever, he relies on a combination of skill, strength, and agility to win his battles. he is energetic, charismatic and fun-loving. He enjoys athletics (such as basketball, American football, and scuba diving), dancing (especially to a fresh beat bumping out his friend's boombox), parties, and girls. Whenever he didn't have an arm around Trini or Kimberly, Zack could be found pursuing his attractive, but hard-to-get classmate, Angela. Zack always loved a good joke. Zack became the Black Power Ranger, is given the Power Coin of the Mastodon Dinozord. Though he loved all the people close to him, Zack's best friend was clearly Jason. Zack is extremely confident and positive. Only on four occasions we saw Zack ready to give it up: when the Green Ranger took out Zordon, Alpha 5 and the Command Center while removing the Rangers from the Megazord; when his team was placed under a spell to take away their confidence; and when their Dinozords were commandeered by Lord Zedd's first monster, Pirantishead. But the first occasion happen very early in the series when his friends pretended to have forgotten his birthday. Zack went off into a secluded area, and into a trap by Rita Repulsa. For some time, he had to fight the powerful Knasty Knight alone. (A monsters of Rita's.) Oddly enough, despite his plentiful confidence, Zack is an extreme ophidiophobe, arachnophobia  and entomophobe meaning he is terrified of snakes, spiders, and insects although, on one occasion when performing magic for a group of children seeking shelter from a monster attack, he handled two fake snakes and used them to scare off Bulk and Skull. Because of this, it can be assumed that Zack's fear of snakes deteriorated over time, especially after an encounter on Rita's Island of Illusion where his strength of will was tested against his fear of snakes. Zack enjoyed martial arts just as much as he did dancing and, as a result, created his own fighting style, called Hip Hop kido. (Wow a martial arts that uses dance moves in order to defeat his enemies!) The customized art consisted of dance-like maneuvers flourished with fast and powerful strikes. This effective combination of power and prowess made Zack an incredibly formidable combatant. However, he would sometimes tone down his style and mimic the attacks of Billy to simultaneously strike opponents. He was also very resourceful. On several occasions, it was his cunning that led his team to victory. Zack is just a fun character, and it's always a pleasure watching him trying to get the girl every or so episode and then failing. Nah! Zack awesome! I really hope he comes back one day. Right next up is...

Trini Kwan

portrayed by

Thuy Trang.

Trini is well versed in kung fu. She would later become proficient in the art of "Praying Mantis Kung Fu". Trini's signature fighting style included lightning fast maneuvers, and powerful high kicks. She attempts to neutralize foes with the least amount of force. Trini is one of the intellectuals of the team, often having to translate Billy's techno talk for the other Rangers. Trini became the Yellow Power Ranger, is given the Power Coin of the Saber-Toothed Tiger Dinozord. Generally soft spoken and polite, Trini is a calm and warm person. Trini was known for her devotion to saving the world and protecting others. She was an environmentalist. Trini also has a strong belief in personal honor. She is prepared to both push herself and put herself in danger for those she loved. Sadly I will say that Trini is the character who the most undeveloped of the original five, but she is very compassionate and very loyal to her friends. I'd be stupid not to also mention that sadly the actress who played Trini, Thuy Trang died in a car accident in 2001. Shame too. She will and is still missed by many fans including myself. 

R.I.P. Thuy Trang.

I might as well mention this also mainly because of what happens next season, when Thuy Trang, Austin St. John, and Walter Jones left the show (over contract disputes I think.), their characters stopped making new on-screen or face-to-camera shots before they were written off in the two-part "Power Transfer" episode in which their characters were chosen to attend the World Peace Conference. Though Jason later returned in "Power Rangers Zeo", "Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie", and the tenth anniversary special "Forever Red," it was never stated what became of Zack or Trini after the peace conference. Hmmmm... Strange.... Next up is...

Kimberly Hart

portrayed by

Amy Jo Johnson.

Kimberly starts the series as a stereotypical valley girl, but with a heightened awareness for her friends. Throughout the series, she is the member of the team most likely to fire off a sarcastic or witty retort. However, as the series progresses, she becomes a deeper and kind-hearted person, due to experiences such as switching bodies with the nerdy Billy and being turned into a punk after Baboo (One of the comedy duo of the villains) administers a potion to one of Kimberly's drinks. Kimberly became the Pink Power Ranger, is given the Power Coin of the Pterodactyl Dinozord. She was a capable gymnast and was often shown training and using her abilities in fights against Rita's forces, as she fought with a blend of gymnastic maneuvers, elbows and kicks. She often used the environment around her as a springboard for her attacks and was often needed to defeat monsters with visible weaknesses, such as the archery-based Snizzard and the Terror Toad. (Two monsters of Rita's.) She also taught dance classes at Angel Grove's Youth Center, while using American Sign Language to interpret for a student with a disability. Kimberly was revealed to be proficient in many hobbies throughout the series, including designing and arranging the floral pattern for a parade float, being regarded as a great cheerleader throughout Junior High School and being able to sing and play guitar. When Tommy transfers to Angel Grove, Kimberly becomes attracted to him on the spot! (Wow.. that's fast!) She also becomes visibly upset when Tommy's demeanor toward her becomes hostile. After Tommy breaks Rita Repulsa's spell, a relationship develops between the two after a series of tender moments, including the couple's first kiss when Kimberly supports Tommy after losing his Green Ranger powers and accepts his invitation to a dance. Kimberly is one of the most popular characters out of the series and why? Yep, shes pretty. So it's not hard to see why, really. But all and all her character was lovable and enjoyable to watch. Right next is...

Billy Cranston

portrayed by

David Yost.

Billy began the series as the stereotypical "nerd". The other Rangers, especially Trini, defended him loyally, but Billy later evolved to become a stronger individual. He was one of the top members of Angel Grove High's science club and often helped its younger members with their experiments. One such example was with Willy, a young boy he helped to create a virtual reality simulator for a Science Fair. In the episode "High Five", Billy not only created the communicators, but also the interface that allowed the devices a remote access to the Command Center's teleportation unit. Billy became the Blue Power Ranger, is given the Power Coin of the Triceratops Dinozord. It revealed that, due to an experience in his youth when he was bitten by a fish during an experiment involving whirlpools, Billy developed icthyophobia: fear of fish. This fear would affect him well into his teens and Rita would use a spell to exacerbate this fear. When he is the last Ranger left able to contend with the Goo Fish monster, Billy overcomes the spell and then, after helping to free his friends and defeat the monster, completely overcomes the fear itself on a fishing trip with Ernie, the owner of the Youth Center. Each of Billy's teammates have a unique skill to offer the team and, in Billy's case, it was his vast intelligence. He sought out to improve himself physically, and the audience would see him transition over time from the suspenders-wearing "brain" to a confident, hyper-intelligent athlete with appreciable fighting skills, thanks in great part to Trini's Uncle Howard. Jason and later Tommy helped graduate Billy to the red belt level in karate. Billy's intelligence would help the Rangers save the world on many occasions. When the Command Center was damaged, Zordon lost and Alpha incapacitated, it was his invention, a car called the RADBUG, (The name kind of reminds me of Starbug from Red Dwarf...) that allowed the Rangers to travel to the Command Center. He performed a wide array of tasks, ranging from creating the method for which the Ranger's would use initially to infiltrate Rita's Dark Dimension, to disarming the lock-out mechanism for Alpha's activated self-destruct, and many other achievements. Though Billy did manage to attract girls earlier in his "nerd-like" persona, it was after he began his journey toward self-improvement that he would garner more attention from romantic interests, even more so than the other members of the team. Billy is the character you'll get to know the most out of the whole three seasons up to Zeo. Billy is a very lovable character and to be honest I kind of felt sorry for him most of time when he was bullied  until he was able to build himself up and... yeah. Right the last Ranger to talk about is...

Tommy Oliver

portrayed by

Jason David Frank.

Tommy is first introduced in the mini-saga "Green with Evil." Tommy is a bit forgetful and dim-witted at times, but he more than makes up for it with his nobility and courage. As a new student at Angel Grove High School, Rita saw him as the perfect person to become her evil Green Ranger. She put him under a spell and gave him the Dragon Power Coin. With it, Tommy morphed into the Green Ranger and fought the Power Rangers, defeating them in a couple of battles. Tommy's given mission is to destroy Zordon, the Command Center, and the Power Rangers, leaving the world defenseless against Rita's conquest. Tommy succeeds with the majority of his mission, discarding Zordon, demolishing the Command Center, and infecting Alpha with a virus while ejecting the Power Rangers from their own Megazord. His Green Ranger powers give him an added tool not possessed by the other Rangers, the Dragon Shield. Controlled by the Dragon Dagger, the Dragon Shield promotes advanced healing and can deflect energy attacks. Added to this is the ability to generate powerful energy projections, and the Green Ranger is able to contend with all of the other Power Rangers at once, to be warded off only by the Megazord. Tommy's Dragon Dagger is capable of summoning and controlling his own Zord, the Dragonzord. Once the Rangers' Zords are gone, he summons his to raze the defenseless city of Angel Grove. Eventually, a newly resurrected Zordon returns the Rangers to their Dinozords after explaining that the Earth's lava naturally healed them. As the Megazord overcomes the Dragonzord, Jason fights Tommy alone in a final battle that sees Jason narrowly outmatch Tommy, destroying his Sword of Darkness, a weapon given to him by Rita that maintains the spell over Tommy. In order to atone for his evil deeds, Tommy agrees to Zordon's rules as for being a Power Ranger, accepts a communicator from the Blue Ranger Billy, and dedicates himself and his powers to battling down the wicked Rita, becoming more or less the second-in-command of the team behind Jason. Tommy's fierce fighting abilities are contrasted by his nervousness around Kimberly whom he had alienated when he was evil. Kimberly forgives him for his transgressions, but it is not until he loses his powers to Rita after she uses the Green Candle, made of special wax once touched by Tommy, to sever his link to the Morphing Grid, does Kimberly return his affections. (Awww young love!) In the adventure involving the Green Candle (Yes, I've mentioned this a lot but it explains things easier for you.), Goldar keeps the lit item in the Dark Dimension and holds Tommy captive there, knowing that his proximity would cause the candle's melting process to accelerate. Jason makes the attempt to get through Goldar to retrieve the candle, but Rita's succession of attacks perpetrated by a monster capable of mimicking every Zord and Zord combination, prevents him from getting to it in time. As Tommy's powers are fading he has to use the Dragonzord cockpit to keep fighting the monster. after the battle he is left with one last opportunity to keep the powers from returning to Rita: he has to give the powers over to another individual who possesses a stable link to the Morphing Grid for the Green Ranger powers to function on. He chooses Jason. When Rita kidnaps the parents of all the students at Angel Grove High School, the Rangers are forced to acquiesce to Goldar's ransom of their parents for their five Power Coins. After making the personal decision to make the trade, Goldar's deception is revealed when he refuses to return the parents, or the Dragon Dagger Rita has brainwashed Billy into stealing for her. As Goldar commands the Dragonzord to demolish the defenseless Angel Grove, Jason reveals his own deception: his gambit of defecting his Power Coin to Goldar leads to the oversight that he still possesses the Dragon Coin. The Rangers recruit Tommy to reclaim his powers and he is assisted by an energy boost from Zordon that temporarily energizes him in replacement of his missing direct link to the Morphing Grid. However, his powers are very unstable now and have to be recharged several times by Zordon. In using the depleting powers to retrieve the missing items, Tommy reaches into a force-field and appears to have been lethally affected. Eventually, it is learned that the electrocution he underwent by the force-field, while wearing the Green Ranger powers, revitalizes its power source substantially. Tommy could once again reclaim his powers, provided that he periodically seek regeneration by a donation of Zordon's own energies. Even with this knowledge, Tommy still chooses to be a Ranger. Tommy was and still is the most favorite and popularest character out of the entire series and is also mine. He just had a presences unlike the other Rangers did and on his first appearance on the show, you knew he was a formidable fighter. And I don't see why! He studies Jeet Kune Do! Bruce Lee's art! Enough said! Right time for the Rangers allies... 

Zordon

voiced by

David Fielding

A wise old sage, Zordon used to fight evil around the galaxy, eventually establishing a base of operations on Earth. In a final battle with Rita Repulsa, Zordon was trapped in a time warp, his only window to our reality being a giant tube in the Command Center. When Rita was released in 1993, Zordon, with the help of his trusted assistant, Alpha 5, sought out "five teenagers with attitude." He recruited Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini and Billy to be the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Zordon acted as a mentor and adviser for the team, revealing Zords, equipment and useful information whenever the time was right. The "Green With Evil" five-parter demonstrates just how important Zordon was to the team. Rita used her Power Coin and brainwashed Tommy into being the evil Green Ranger, with his first task being sabotaging Zordon's connection to our dimension. The Rangers and Alpha were unable to contact him for some time, which made matters more difficult for them. It was only when Alpha re-established contact with Zordon that the tide began to turn in the Rangers' favor and Tommy was freed from Rita's influence. As shown in this era and continued throughout his tenure, despite being trapped in another dimension, Zordon frequently demonstrated great power and awareness. (For example, he immediately knew that Tommy was the Green Ranger, while it took the Rangers some time to figure out.) He was able to keep Tommy's Green Ranger powers from fading sooner by regularly infusing his coin. Zordon is just epic, every time I watched him on the show I kept wondering how powerful he really was, until his final appearance in the "In Space" series. Then shit went down. Next up is...

Alpha 5

voiced by

Richard Steven Horvitz

He is a fully sentient automaton, or robot, is the loyal assistant to Zordon in the Power Chamber. He was built on Edenoi by King Lexian, and recruited by Zordon to assist him in establishing a vanguard against evil on Earth. In the early days of the series he often acted like a younger brother to the Rangers, always wanting spend time with them and learn things (such as learning "hip-hop-kido" from Zack). He matured slightly as the series progressed, but always remained a naive, childlike assistant. When Rita sent the Green Ranger to sabotage the Command Center, the evil Ranger slipped a CD into Alpha's inner workings, unleashing a virus onto the unwitting droid which caused him to convulse violently (as well as make his voice falter and warp). Though the removal of the disc seemed to provide Alpha some temporary relief, Billy had to repair Alpha's circuitry in order to permanently remove the virus. Alpha later captured the Green Ranger in a forcefield, but Rita rescued him before Alpha could reveal his identity (though the computer locked-on to his bio-signals, running them through the system and thus allowing everyone to know Green Ranger's identity later). It was after this that he successfully made reconnection with Zordon after he was lost in his timewarp from the earlier attack. He is most known for his cry of "Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi!" which he used in many situations (most often in alarm/panic, although it also has been uttered when Billy performed a clumsy action, or when Tommy and Jason would argue). Alpha is just brilliant OK? I loved Alpha as a kid and still do, hell! I even started to use his "Aye-yi-yi-yi!" in normal convocations. Now on to the "real" heroes of the series!...

Bulk and Skull!

portrayed by

Paul Schrier and Jason Narvy.

Bulk and Skull started out as bullies at Angel Grove High School, usually targeting the Power Rangers in the 'B plots' of the episode. They were regulars at the Gym and Juice Bar hangout. Their actions were motivated by greed and ego in the first season. Wacky schemes abound (such as creating an obviously-fake kung fu style called "Cockroach Kung Fu" to attempting to catch fish or claiming reward money for themselves) always ends in failure and/or humiliation. They are also frequently put in detention by Angel Grove High's somewhat-antagonistic principal, Mr. Caplan. In early episodes Bulk and Skull had accomplices: a female punk is with them in "Teamwork" and "Food Fight", and a black male punk in "Food Fight". Early scripts for Season 1 show the female punk was meant to be a recurring character named Sharkie. But after that, they were never seen again. Skull had a crush on Kimberly, and Bulk appeared to want to win Trini's heart, as well, in a few episodes. Whenever the girls were with the four other Rangers, however, they referred to all six as "nerds" and "geeks" (despite the fact that Kimberly originally appeared to be ditzy and materialistic, not intellectual), and occasionally "dorks" and "losers", as well, among other insults. This group of demeaning insults and name-calling would eventually turn against them by the time of the episode "A Friend in Need", when two teenage girls call them as such throughout the episode. Meet the two who stayed for the LONGEST time on the series, from all three seasons of "Mighty Morphin" to "In Space"! And the most developed out of all the characters on the show, these two are just legend! Every time I watched Power Rangers with my friends the first question wasn't "What's Rita's plan this time?" it was "What antics will Bulk and Skull do today?" That's how popular they got! Love these guys! Oh by the way their full names are Farkas Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovitch. Yeah, stick to Bulk and Skull, kids.

Right time for the villains of the series...

Rita Repulsa

portrayed by

Machiko Soga.

(footage from the Japanese counter part show Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger.)

and voiced by

Barbara Goodson.

(English)

A feared sorceress, Rita attempts to conquer all in sight. After being released from a dumpster in which Zordon imprisoned her in a final battle, she tried to conquer Earth, with her minions. Over the course of the show, Rita Repulsa battled the Power Rangers using everything from phobia spells, super Putty patrollers, binding magic spells, and on occasions, she would even allow the likes of Goldar and Over the course of the show, Rita Repulsa battled the Power Rangers using everything from phobia spells, super Putty patrollers, binding magic spells, and on occasions, she would even allow the likes of Goldar and Squatt and Baboo to be "in charge" of destroying the Power Rangers. Nothing worked, and Rita would normally take her frustrations out on her henchmen by bashing them on the head with her magic wand or screaming into their faces. One of Rita's most memorable traits was that following each loss, she would either swear vengeance, or complain that she had a headache (the latter becoming one of her trademarks). and Baboo to be "in charge" of destroying the Power Rangers. Nothing worked, and Rita would normally take her frustrations out on her henchmen by bashing them on the head with her magic wand or screaming into their faces. One of Rita's most memorable traits was that following each loss, she would either swear vengeance, or complain that she had a headache (the latter becoming one of her trademarks). Not much to say, but remembering this character... just gave me a headache!

 Goldar

voiced by

Kerrigan Mahan.

Goldar led Rita Repulsa's first invasion against the Earth. However, he was soon faced the Power Rangers and was beaten by their Megazord after an intense fight. He also became notable for telling Rita what to do frequently, and always promised that they will get revenge for their schemes' failures. He also has been called a "bumbling fool" by Rita in "A Star is Born", and was scolded vehemently by Rita in "Happy Birthday, Zack", being called a "worthless misfit" and a "dweeb". This pattern also happened when Lord Zedd was introduced as well; in addition to insulting the now apparently incompetent golden warrior, he often blamed Goldar for his own failures, and had a habit of silencing him (and Squatt and Baboo) frequently. Ever since then, Goldar fought the Rangers and their Zords, growing a strong hatred for Jason and Tommy, the Red and Green Rangers, for their continual victories in single combat. Goldar also had a Zord of his own known as Cyclopsis, an ancient war machine, but this Zord was defeated by the Rangers' Ultrazord after a prolonged battle. He was also involved in one of Bulk and Skull's more memorable encounters with a monster, in which Goldar (giant sized) picked up a bus with the two inside. Goldar is... a giant golden monkey with wings... moving on.

Baboo and Squatt

both voiced by

Micheal Sorich and Dave Mallow.

Baboo is the more intelligent of a dimwitted duo consisting of him and Squatt. He is tall, slim, black, and vampiric, and resembles a cross between a monkey and a bat with crippled wings. He wears a monocle over his left eye and what appears to be a pocket watch on his chest.

Like Finster, he mainly works behind the lines. Though spineless and scatterbrained, he is highly creative. He serves as Rita's alchemist and potion maker, creating substances and devices for her to use. Notable creations include a time device, a punk potion, the monster Shellshock, and the Nasty Knight's sword. Baboo is rarely confident in his mistress' plans, but would never say this to her face.
Like Squatt he is somewhat cowardly often going to Earth to scheme or cheer on Goldar in battle, rather than take part in a fight himself.

Squatt is the dimwitted sidekick of Baboo. Squatt was a short, blue-skinned hobgoblin with a large horn. He wore metal armor, and looked like a mix between a blueberry and a warthog.

Squatt is rather excitable, and may act like an eagar child when Rita has a plan, or when the Rangers are having trouble in a battle. Squatt was easily frightened by his bosses' bad tempers. Squatt was a coward and, rather than fight, he along with Baboo, would accompany Goldar, Scorpina and monsters as they attacked the Earth and cheer them on. However, he often went to Earth when there was no fight going on because his main duties were acting as a spy and saboteur, as shown in episodes like "Switching Places", "Foul Play in the Sky", "Calamity Kimberly" and "Rita's Seed of Evil". Not much to say about these two, but their nothing compered to Bulk and Skull. Lastly...

Finster

voiced by

Robert Axelord. 

He was primarily responsible for creating the monsters and putties that battled the Rangers. Finster did this by sculpting the monsters out of clay and 'cooking' them in a special oven/kiln/machine in his workshop called the "Monster-Matic". Not only is he skilled at supplying monsters and henchmen for his leaders, he is also shown to be a skilled alchemist and potion maker (similar to Baboo) and inventor, supplying many kinds of potions and gadgets. He's also extremely brilliant and somewhat all-knowing, as he is also able to provide wisdom for Rita. Part magician and part scientist, huh nice touch. 

Well that wraps up the first part of my review and personal tribute to one of the best children series out there, Power Rangers. I will give my full evaluation of the Mighty Morphin series after reviewed all three seasons. So join me next time, guys when we take a look at the Season 2 of...

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

Where series 2 made some changes...

"It's Morphin time!"

Jason Lee Scott.

The Whalley.

Reviews of what's to come...

Heya guys, Whalley here. I know I haven't been doing much for a good while, but I have my reasons. So I thought I'd at least give you guys a list of games and movies that'd been coming up. Right first up is...

The Power Rangers review is being written, but it may take a little longer to publish. But don't worry it will be up soon.

The final part of Hellsing Ultimate is also being written as well as the Power Ranger one, so this one will maybe be published after or before the Power Rangers one.

Sly 2 review is on my list, but I haven't played the game in a good while. So I'm replaying all the games again in order to give a proper evaluation on the game and the series itself. Oh and yes...

I will be reviewing Sly 4 Thieves in Time when it comes out.

Oh yeah, my review of the Castlevania games will be back. And to start it off it'll be my favorite game of the series. Castlevania 4!

And for all you Kamen Rider fans out there...

Need I say more?

So that's all I've got for you guys. Look out for more and I'll be sure to post the reviews soon and if I haven't yet, I'll let you know. Oh just to say this doesn't mean that all the reviews I've mentioned has a set schedule in which order I'll publish them. They will be published randomly and when their done.

Until then, guys!

The Whalley.

The Whalley Reviews: The Sly Cooper Trilogy. Part One.

Sly Raccoon.

Oh yeah, it's time.

To start out I fecking love this game and the series, I LOVE THEM! *coughs* Ahem! Excuse me. OK, on with the plot!

Bubble: There's a plot?

Me: Hey! There's a reason I keep you in a cage.

O_O

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ON WITH THE SHOW!

The game focuses on the eponymous protagonist and master thief, Sly Cooper and his gang, Bentley the Turtle (A.K.A. The Brains) and Murray the Hippo (A.K.A. The Brawn), as they seek out the Fiendish Five to recover his family's "Thievius Raccoonus," a book with the accumulation of all of Sly's ancestors' thieving moves. Their activities attracted the attention of Interpol Inspector, Carmelita Fox, who made it her mission to capture Sly. Sly takes a subtle romantic interest in her. This platforming game is one the many famous titles from the PlayStation 2 era and let me tell you, I'd play this game any day of the week. Right onto the characters and what better way to start of our journey by taking a look at the villains of the game.

The Fiendish Five.

First up is Sir Raleigh. One of the richest and poshest frogs you'll ever see, and one who can pull of a evil and disturbing smile... He was born into a life of nobility and privilege, but grew bored with it. (Like ALL noble born nobodies who want more power and control!)  On a whim, he tried his hand at piracy, and discovered that he enjoyed it. (-_-... HA!) Becoming addicted to crime, his tinkering genius earned him a seat in the Fiendish Five as Chief Engineer because of his fondness to make monster machines. (Let's hope he doesn't decided to make a Robot Godzilla or we're fucked!) After the attack on the Cooper home was completed, Raleigh took off with the notes of Rioichi Cooper. Years later, Raleigh had established himself near the Isle O'Wrath, situated in the center of his artificially created Welsh Triangle. Using his Storm Machine to wreck the local weather conditions, Raleigh also wrecked a large number of ships. All I've got to say is... GET A LIFE! Stupid rich frog... Next up is...

Muggshot. He is a massive anthropomorphic American Bulldog. (No shit! This dudes on fecking steroids!) As a young dog he was the 'runt' of the litter, and was frequently bullied by larger dogs. (See where this is going?) He found solace only in mobster movies, and came to admire the tough, brutal criminals and how they took no crap from anyone. Inspired, he strove to be like them and started to lift weights and take steroids. (HA! CALLED IT!) Growing to massive size, especially in the arms, he eventually took revenge on his former tormentors and became a well-known enforcer and gunman, eventually being recruited by Clockwerk (the leader and a character I'll get to.) and taking part in the raid on the Cooper household that killed Sly's father. Muggshot took the section of the Thievius Raccoonus that contained "Tennessee Kid" Cooper's notes on rail walking and rail sliding, liking the pretty pictures but not really understanding all the big words. (No surprise.) He eventually parted ways with Clockwerk, much later taking over Mesa City in Utah, installing a massive casino there and driving off the vast majority of the residents. This guy is just a bullied kid, who became the bully! Sad story really but... DUDE YOU NEED HELP! LOOK AT THOSE ARMS! Right... Next up is...

Mz Ruby. A large, anthropomorphic Haitian Alligator who came from a long family of voodoo mystics. (Holy shit...) She was feared throughout her childhood for her abilities, becoming incredibly lonely and finding solace only in her undead companions. (Yeah... and she wonders why she didn't have friends...) Growing up, this loneliness turned to bitterness; Mz.Ruby refining her art until Clockwerk recruited her as the mystic specialist for the Fiendish Five. She took part in the raid on the Cooper house, taking the section of the Thievius Raccoonus that contained Slytunkhamen's notes on how to become invisible. Once this job was over, she went out on her own, intent on using her magic to punish the world for fearing her as a child. According to her own words, her plans were to harvest bones and body parts and create an army of zombies to take over Mexico. OK, with have an alligator, who can use magic and posses people.... RUN FOR THE FUCKING HILLS!!! 

Right up next is the Panda King. resided in the Kunlun Mountains of China. He loved fireworks, and invested in them. One night, he showed them to the leader. However, the leader was not pleased, depressing the Panda King. Enraged, he started using his firework creation to bury villages in snow. This skill is what made him the demolitions expert of Clockwerk's Fiendish Five. Before acquiring the Thievius Raccoonus' section containing the blueprints of Otto Van Cooper, Panda King set up shop in the Kunlun Mountains of western China. Building a massive explosives factory, he disguised it as a large temple-like facility. In order to finance his crimes, the Panda King pressured local villages for avalanche protection. If they refused, he would set off a firework that would bring a megaton of snow down on them. This guy is just an asshole! I mean it, only because the leader of his village didn't like his work doesn't mean you need to destroy them with your work! But for what happens to him in Sly 3 I'll let it slide and when we get to Sly 3, you'll also know. Finally the leader of the Fiendish Five....

Clockwerk.

Clockwerk is a huge Russian Eurasian Eagle-owl, the main antagonist and arguably, the arch-enemy of Sly Cooper. A longtime rival of the Cooper Clan, Clockwerk is directly responsible for the murder of Sly's father and made it his goal in life to destroy Sly's line. This obsession led him to slowly replace his organic body parts with robotic ones until his entire body (including his internal organs) was mechanized.

(Now that's one fucked up bird.) This, combined with his jealousy and hatred of the Cooper Clan, and made him essentially immortal. (My god...) Ten years before the events of the first game, Clockwerk, along with his gang, the Fiendish Five, attacked Sly's father and killed him before stealing the Thievius Raccoonus, a book recording the journeys and skills of all the ancestors of the Cooper line. Despite his knowledge of Sly's existence, he spared Sly's life in an attempt to prove to the world that the Cooper Clan was nothing without the Thievius Raccoonus, a belief that Sly quickly proved wrong. This guy... My god, never in a game or a character I have ever seen and known has had that much hatred for one family line! When I first play against this boss and learned about his past and how long he's lived, I dropped my controller. This guy is... something else. Oh! This guy has SO much hatred in him he has, "Hate Chip" built into him. It's the power source of the Clockwerk Frame (body), the Hate Chip is what gave the Clockwerk parts their seeming immortality. My god! I will say this about Clockwerk, it's interesting to note that the technology to develop something like the "Hate Chip" didn't exist until things like computers were around, so how Clockwerk made or obtained the Hate Chip in the first place is a mystery. We'll never know about all of Clockwerk's past, but in truth... do we really want to know?

Right with the villains out of the way, it now time for the heroes! Please welcome...

 The Cooper Gang.

First up is Murray, "The Brawn". He is very strong, muscular (In other words don't pick a fight with him), but slightly dim-witted and rotund hippopotamus who serves as the getaway driver for Sly's gang. He met both Sly and Bentley (characters I'll get to soon) when the three of them were growing up in the same orphanage. Murray's driving skills came from his job as a pizza delivery boy, during which he hot wired cars and was eventually fired for eating too many pizzas. Murray is quite large and has an enormous appetite. And no joke this guy will eat you out of house and home! Murray is just lovable, you can not help but love this character. Strong, faithful and reliable. And once you've become friends with him, your friends for life and he'll get you out of any trouble with no questions asked. Just don't ask him to race you, he'll beat you... brutally. Sadly he's not a playable character in the game like Sly, but you do get to race with Murray in the game. Right next up is...

Bentley, "The Brain". The brains of Sly's gang, Bentley is a turtle, a trusted friend of Sly, and an expert in computer-hacking and other electronic devices. (Might come in handy if your computer's broken, and he'll make it a Super Computer!) He's also quite well-read, often stating "I've read about this..." when deducing something new and alien to the team. As I've mentioned before, Bentley is also a loyal friend of Sly's and would come up with the plans with him. He met Sly and Murray in the orphanage. Bentley is as you've guessed a nerd, but a nerd you really would want to be on your side. Seriously, this guy can hack anything! And if you anger him, oh boy... Don't be that guy because.... well he'll destroy all your operations in one tap on his keyboard. He is very loyal to the Cooper Gang, and will do anything to project his friends. Being the smartest of the group he tends to feel that he could accomplish anything on his own. But that is also is weakness. Right next up is somebody who's not a part of the gang, but I feel needs mentioning as well. 

Meet Carmelita Fox. Carmelita is a fourth generation Interpol agent. Her outlook on crime was very black and white, firmly believing that any lawbreaker must be brought to justice, regardless of how minor or major the infraction was. Pursuing this vision with her shock pistol, Carmelita was extremely rigid in this view and pursued all criminals with equal determination, from murderers to jaywalkers to thieves, such as Sly and company. Of course, deep down, she has romantic feelings for Sly. (Awww!) Before Carmelita met Sly, she was at an opera house with her mentor Inspector Barkley (A character we see in the series). She was there because the opera house was old and so was its security system. This was also her first big assignment from Inspector Barkley, who did not completely trust her abilities. She eventually finds Sly on her first encounter on the roof. Dozens of cops tried to catch him but Sly fought them off. But eventually, he was captured, but what Carmelita didn't know is that Sly let himself get captured for a chance to meet her. When Sly escaped (thanks to the janitor who opened the closet), Carmelita got in trouble for letting Sly escape and that the diamond necklace she was supposed to be guarding was missing. So Carmelita went to search for him. Sly discovered the thief, knocked him out, and sent him to Carmelita with the necklace as a present, helping her get a good review from her mentor. Eventually, Carmelita decided to hunt Sly down, vowing to put him behind bars. This is one girl you don't want to be running away from that shock pistol of hers is shocking! (No pun intended.) And she when she wants the job done right, oh boy! It get done my friends. And with a sassy personalty like hers well... I'm glad she's Sly's girl. Speaking of Sly....

Sly Cooper.

Sly is, as the first game describes him, a "cunning, devious, Thievius Raccoonus." He uses his wit, his courage, and his skills to pull off jobs, and he usually has a sarcastic remark in hand. However, he remains loyal and dedicated to his friends; especially Bentley and Murray, his two close friends since childhood, and Carmelita Fox, his love interest. Sly was born into the lineage of the Cooper Clan under the tutelage of his father. Sly grew up learning about his family's history as master thieves and was to follow in his family's footsteps; inheriting their legendary legacy, the Thievius Raccoonus, at the age of 8. On the night Sly was to inherit the book, a mysterious gang of criminals known as the Fiendish Five infiltrated the Cooper residence. Try as he might, his father failed to defend himself, his wife, and his son from the brutes, ending with Sly's parents being murdered. The Fiendish Five ransacked the house in search of the book, Sly helplessly watching while hiding inside the closet. After finding it, they tore out its pages and split it among themselves before leaving. Sly, without parents, ended up in an orphanage where he met his lifelong friends, Bentley and Murray. Sly was determined to grow up as an accomplished thief and live up to his namesake. Ten years after the Fiendish Five stole the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly had garnered a reputation as a cunning thief and had entangled the interest of Carmelita. Sly embarked on the quest to steal back his inheritance and avenge his father and mother's deaths. Sly is by far one my favorite characters of all time! I love this character, and would play the game any day. Growing up with the Cooper games I found myself at times acting and speaking like Sly, with his sarcastic come backs and witty answers. Anger him by threatening his friends or worse Carmelita, oh boy! He'll let you know my friend. Don't mess with the Cooper Family! (Gang.)

The game is primarily a platforming video game presented in third-person that incorporates stealth elements. The game "tries to mix one-hit-kill arcade action with what the game Splinter Cell  used; sneaking." The player primarily controls the title character, Sly Cooper as he moves between each lair of the Fiendish Five and the sub-sections of those lairs, avoiding security systems and the watchful eyes of the minions. While Sly is equipped with a cane to attack his foes, Sly typically cannot take even a single hit before collapsing; thus, the player is urged to use stealthy maneuvers to move around potential threats or to silently take down a foe from behind.

To assist in these stealth moves, the player is shown special points colored with blue sparkles of light, identified in the game as Sly's "thief senses". (Although at first I just thought Sly was high.) The player can trigger actions at these points, such as sidling along a narrow ledge or wall, landing on a pointed object such an antenna or streetlight, using the cane to grapple onto something, or climbing along the length of a narrow pole or pipe all by pressing the circle button. The player must avoid detection by security systems or minions, otherwise an alarm will sound and the player will either have to destroy the alarm, avoid or defeat foes alerted by the alarm, or hide for several seconds until the alarm resets (In other words DON'T GET CAUGHT!). The game uses a dynamic music system that is tied in with the state of alarm in the area. The music will increase in volume and pacing when Sly attacks or is detected, and then will quiet down as the disturbance goes away. And what lovely music is, and it really does help build the atmosphere in some places. Each sub-section of a lair contains a number of "Clues in a Bottle", which when all are collected, with the help of Bentley,will reveal the combination to a safe in the level that contains a page from the Thievius Raccoonus. (And let me tell you that they are bugger to find in the later games!) 

These pages grant Sly new moves to use to aid either in movement, stealth, or combat, such as creating a decoy, or dropping an explosive hat. Defeating each of the bosses also gives Sly moves, these are typically necessary to pass later levels. Defeating enemies or destroying objects in the levels generates coins, and coins can also be found scattered about the levels; for every 100 coins, Sly gains a lucky horseshoe that will allow him to take extra hits, or if he currently has two, he'll get an extra life. If Sly collapses and loses a life, the current sub-level will be restarted or at a special "repeater" that acts as a checkpoint.  If the player loses all of Sly's lives, they must restart that bosses' lair from the start. Besides this gameplay, there are mini-games that include driving levels (based on Murray), shooting to protect Murray as he ascends certain levels, and a cyber-tank game representing a hacking attempt by Bentley. One notable boss battle includes a rhythm-based sequence. (I'm looking at you Mz Ruby!) 

 Some levels can be returned to at any time to gain additional coins or to seek out special moves. When a level is completed, and all of the clue bottles and the secret moves are found, the player can then attempt a "Master Thief Sprint", a timed sprint on the level to try to beat a set time. The player can unlock additional artistic content by completing all the levels in this fashion. And let me tell you it's really interesting what the creators went through with the many changes they did to this game. It also includes a Japanese version of the opening and let me just say... I WANT A SLY ANIME SERIES NOW!!! It looks amazing!!!

Bringing up the binocucom will be the best way for finding clues and breakables. The binocucom won't move during the story lines, but the heads in the binocucom can be moved. The left stick is for Bentley and Murray, and the right stick is for Sly. This thing comes really handy in this and the later games of the series, because believe me when I say you'll need it to see what's ahead of you. If it's things you need to collect or enemies you'll have to watch out for the binocucom is one the most useful tool in the game series.

I will also like to mention that I love the comic book style of the cutscenes, it makes you not only feel that your playing a game it makes you feel your actually in the comic book world working alongside Sly and the gang. Well that raps up up the first game, and let me say this game is a gem and a brilliant example of a new classic game for the PlayStation. Also this game series got so big that it even got it's own comic book series!!

The Adventures of Sly Cooper.

I have sadly not been able to find any of them, but I'd like to one day read them. Because they give not only a good story, but also I've heard that it even goes on to explain a lot of the characters background and gives them more character development. Look out for them! 

 Right next time we'll be taking a look at...

Sly 2: Band of Thieves.

P.S. Yes, that's my pet chinchilla. Making his first appearance. 

The Whalley.