I’m starting to think Nickelodeon insisted Saban Brands had to do Power Ranger Christmas episodes. Dino Super Charge had access to a Sentai episode with a Christmas theme. Granted, Japan has so few Christians that their take on Christmas is…different, but you still make a clip show? And yet because of the number of episodes Nickelodeon allowed them to make the Christmas episode is basically an epilogue to the “Dino Charge” storyline, set after history was altered in the Dino Charge universe (yes, there’s been a Power Rangers multiverse since RPM, as shown in the Samurai crossover) to where dinosaurs still exist. At least we get a T-Rex in a Santa hat! 😀
“Here Comes Heximus” at least follows the previous Christmas episode’s tradition of using the holiday in a story that happens to have clips instead of vaguely tying them to the season to force an episode. A surviving monster returns to Earth to turn Santa’s coal into a mind control conduit and the Rangers have to come out of retirement to stop them. Except some of the Rangers are hit with the anti-festive whammy. Luckily Keeper has brought the time-displaced Rangers back to the present to help celebrate the season (just go with…all of it) to remind everyone who they are.
Personally I would have used Kendall to awaken Shelby, as a coda to their relationship to show how both of them changed, not just Shelby, though having her boyfriend awaken her makes sense as well. Unfortunately this is where our Christmas Rangerfest ends. “Secret Santa, the most recent Christmas episode as of this writing, isn’t available on YouTube, possibly due to whatever arrangement has with Hasbro that doesn’t include past Ranger shows, as the series is slowly appearing on their regular official channel and on home video in the US through Shout Factory. It’s also the only one that isn’t a clip show vaguely set at Christmas.
Ninja Steel gave us “Past, Presents, And Future”, which has Santa taking Sarah back through time to temporarily borrow the Ninja Power Stars from their past self, which is at least different as clip shows go, and “The Poisy Show” is only Christmas due to decorations and Santa saving them again. Interesting to have Santa save the Rangers for a change…and it’s the same team both times. Not a good showing, folks.
Beast Morphers gives us “Scrozzle’s Revenge”, but outside of Scrozzle trapping the Beast Morpher Rangers in Christmas ornaments it seems Hasbro is following Saban Brand’s lead. I guess the writers for Dino Charge were the only ones putting effort in the Christmas side of the Christmas special, and yet still doing a clip show epilogue. Dino Fury‘s “Secret Santa” sounds promising but again not available. Santa’s magic sketchbook is stolen by Mucus and Slyther, who also traps Javi and Solon. They have to escape using the other Rangers’ secret Santa presents. Sadly that one isn’t available, either.
So I hoped you enjoyed the Power Rangers Christmas eve. Christmas day specials will be a bit more open in where they came from.
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