Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Freaky Frightday Review

This Power Rangers Dino Super Charge review contains spoilers.

Power Rangers Dino Super Charge Episode 17

Let’s just put aside most of the complaints I’ve been raising for the past few weeks about Dino Super Charge, otherwise I’ll come off like a broken record. Yes, the show is still wasting time with these plots of the week when it should be doing more to build toward its endgame. That point will affect the episode’s final score, but I don’t need to get into it again. Let’s take a look at what the episode is trying to do.

Oh thank god this episode is about Ivan. This show has excelled with every Ivan focus and while this wasn’t the best, it’s elevated by having Davi Santos twice. I’d watch a whole Nutty Professor style movie with Davi Santos as every character. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Davi Santos is a huge talent that should be cast in every TV show/movie ever. This dude at least deserves to end up with a starring role in a comedy series. He’s got the chops.

With the role of Zach we even get to see him as the straight man for once and he’s really good! The whole lesson about needing to try new things was a little weak but and needed a bit more development to buy Zach’s frustration with his own art, but it’s in the capable hands of Santos so it works. Every artist out there, painting or otherwise, has had people not appreciate their work and wanted to give up. Can Zach be the sixth Ranger in Power Rangers Ninja Steel?

I had wondered why we have had the body swapping in this episode until Ivan, in Riley’s body, got to hear about Zach’s struggles. It was a neat little touch, enhanced by Ivan attempting to pull off Riley’s vocal mannerisms. Sure, it would have been funnier to hear Michael Taber try and do Ivan’s voice but this worked just fine.

I do wish we had seen more of the body swapped Rangers though. We got some quick jokes with everyone, Shelby’s at the end with her stretched out shirt being the funniest, but it felt a bit rushed. Dino Super Charge really loves squishing plots that could be their own episode into one. Kudos to the cast for pulling off the physicality of the characters they’d been swapped into. James Davies as Koda eating the Bronto Burger was a delight.

Back to Ivan, this episode glosses over something that could prove to be very important. Zach is supposedly a descendent of Ivan. Now did Ivan have a family and thus he’s a distant great great great great uncle? Or is Zach a direct descendent, meaning Ivan had kids? He’s never mentioned them before, so does that make Ivan the most absent father ever, even more so than Tyler’s? I mean sure, he was caught up in Fury, but why didn’t he check on what happened to his kids the moment he was freed? I’m probably over thinking this, but how is Ivan a great great great great great (however many greats it would take) grandfather without actually having a kid of his own? Does he at some point go back in time? Is this the weirdest set up for a future episode ever? Can you imagine if that’s the case? Picture the writers room.

“Awright guys, we gotta lay groundwork for how Ivan goes back in time and has a son.”

Or maybe he had sex with someone just before Fury captured him and he has no knowledge of his offspring. Yeah, that’s the most logical answer. If anyone from the writing staff is reading this, let me know!

The Snide plot that almost justifies this episode existing is… weak and confusing. Heckyl suddenly being mad about his planet blowing up is played all wrong. The dude was so gleeful about murdering whole worlds in the first episode of this season, so why is he so mad now? Because he just suddenly remembered? Are we going to see some guilt over what he’d done, or is it all going to get blamed on Snide’s influence? If that’s the case, it’s worse then Zenowing being a dick last week. Why can’t these characters just own up to their actions?

Cast your mind back to Ransik at the end of Power Rangers Time Force. Sure, the dude repented at the end but that doesn’t mean he was forgiven of all crimes. He knew he had to spend his time in prison. The Power Rangers Wild Force team up kind of muddies those waters, although I always assumed he went back to prison after their big party. The point being, especially for a kids show, actions need to have consequences. Heckyl is a mass murderer and I get the feeling the show will find the easy way out to redeem him. Come on, Power Rangers. You can do better than that.

Stray Thoughts

– “Is my tentacle too tight? I save it for special occasions.” Oh my.

– For real, couldn’t they have found another name for Zach? That’s the name of the original Black Ranger! (With a K, but still.) Any past Ranger name should really be off limits for ANY character ever.

– “Ey yo, it’s not a mess. It’s art.” Someone put that on a poster.

– Keeper just showing up to dole out advice again.

– I have to admit, that role call was great.

– …Where was Kendall in that fight?

Shamus Kelley ships Riley/Zach. #NoShame Follow him on Twitter!