Power Rangers Ninja Steel Episode 14 Review: The Royal Rival

This Power Rangers Ninja Steel review contains spoilers.

Power Rangers Ninja Steel Episode 14

On paper, I should like this episode. A new alien species! Galactic politics! A lesson that could actually have some depth! For a minute I thought Ninja Steel was actually starting to get itself together. Then I actually started thinking about the plot.

Does Galvanax have control over the Lion Galaxy? I thought Viera was its ruler. Are we supposed to believe Galvanax has that much public sway over a WHOLE GALAXY? He says he can make the monster of the day the Lion Galaxy’s ruler so I’d assume so but we haven’t seen enough of Galvanax’s influence for the audience to believe that. 

This just reminds me how the fabulous “Galaxy Warriors” concept has been wasted this season. It’s legit the most original part of Ninja Steel but it’s simply there to just have new monsters show up. Why not do something with the uniqueness of the premise?

Is Princess Veira on Galaxy Warriors to gain favor with her people? Does EVERYONE in the universe watch Galaxy Warriors? If this is going to be such a huge plot point why not actually build up to it instead of screwing up with idiotic plots like Calvin trying to impress the cast of Grease? Why not have Mick still be watching the show? Why not have Victor and Monty accidentally become accidental stars on Galaxy Warriors, as I’ve suggested before. It would help them be more involved in the actual plots instead of the nonsense this week.

Look, I adore Victor and Monty. They’re the only characters on this show that even approach being real people, which says something because they’re basically cartoon characters. They’re actually allowed to have some conflict, which means they’re at least approaching two dimensions of character instead of the bland Ninja Steel Rangers.

So Sarah’s whole cookie making machine plot. I guess she’s stepped down from hover boards (seriously, why haven’t we seen that since the first episode?) but I was kind of into the idea of her confronting that cookie thief. At first I was baffled why someone would steal cookies but the kid was just trying to feed his sister. That’s actually kind of compelling and a little real! Sarah’s whole lesson about “sometimes people don’t need punishment, they need help” is legit a good lesson that is sadly juxtaposed against Viera’s stupidly basic “I always knew my people were wrong” admission.

Show us this, stop telling us EVERYTHING, Power Rangers. Show us Viera having one set of ideals and then slowly dismantle them. Maybe introduce her earlier. She could have been a Galvanax general! See her wrestle with these ideals and then turn. It would make her showing up with the Lion Zord way more “epic” because it would feel earned. Instead, it’s just another moment in Ninja Steel that should be “EP. IC” but falls flat. 

Come on, the Zords getting decimated and the Rangers getting knocked out of them? That’s some classic mid season finale Power Rangers material that is played as if its just another average fight for the Rangers. 

Also, why do we need lines like, “Oh no! That person’s falling!” Why do you need to tell us she’s falling when WE CAN SEE IT? Even if your audience is four years old you don’t have to be THAT obvious.

Also… that ending. So, okay, everything needs to be tied up in a nice bow so that kid Sarah helped is able to go back to school. How? Did he already make enough money from the cookie machine? Was he able to find a place to live? This is even more absurd than Calvin getting a drivers license in an hour. This plot thread is one of the better ideas Ninja Steel has had but it being resolved in about an hour completly undercuts it. If you have a real world issue like this, treat it with at least a little respect. You don’t solve homelessness or hunger in an hour!

Also, the kids name was Billy. Just…. No. Last year Dino Charge named a one off character Zack and now THIS? Come on, you don’t have a database of used names? You can’t think of a new name? Billy is from the most popular season of the show! This should not be hard! 

And… Victor and Monty with the cow. The gag is okay I guess… If this were a comedy. It’d be one thing if Victor and Monty were pleading with the cow and the cop just rolled its eyes. Now we’re forced to assume the cops in this city actually take cows seriously as witnesses and it completely destroys any sense of reality.

Look, in a series like Power Rangers things are going to be insane. They pilot giant robots and fight alien space ninjas. The world isn’t like ours. However, to make those elements work you need to ground everything else at least in some version of our reality. Otherwise it becomes too much of a farce and you can’t take it seriously.

Maybe Power Rangers is trying to be a comedy… But why would they have a plot about a maybe homeless brother and sister who can’t eat? These things don’t jive. You can’t have them in the same episode.

None of this episode works if you really think about it. 

No matter what Power Rangers Ninja Steel tries it still needs to put more effort into the details for it to work. Until then, it’s going to keep falling on its face.

Shamus Kelley at least appreciated Calvin and Hayley were cuddling in that one scene. Small victories. Follow him on Twitter!