Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Samurai, Episode (16) 39 (or 40) – Fight Fire with Fire

PRS39

Jayden is training in the yard and Mia looks at him like she’ s in love or something. But she notices Mentor/Ji/He’s still here? receiving a message with the Shiba family crest on it. He hands it to Jayden.

Mentor/Ji says they knew this day would come and Jayden says the other Rangers will finally know his secret. He hopes they can forgive him.

PRS39

Down on the Sanzu, Dayu was returned. OOH-AH-OOH! Octoroo suggests they attack the Red Ranger and take him down. He calls on the Nighlok Fiera. She taunts Dayu, but Dayu puts her in her place.

Octoroo gives Fiera “fire flashers” so they can fight fire with fire. Since the Red Ranger’s symbol power is fire. They’re filled with fire from the Sanzu and everytime he’s hit with the fire flashers, it’ll make the fire within him burn him from the inside out. With fire.

The alarm sounds at Chez Shiba. Mia hesistates as they run out to the location of the attack. They morph and fight off Moogers as Fiera starts sending fire flashers Jayden’s way.

PRS39

Jayden starts burning inside and Kevin goes to protect him. Kevin absorbs a fire flashers, but he feels fine afterwards. Fiera explains how the fire flashers work and laughs as Kevin says they must protect Jayden… and the sealing power.

Jayden tells them they shouldn’t take so many hits for him, but they say they’re a team. “They’re too loyal,” Jayden says to himself. He begs them to stop protecting him.

Jayden goes SUPER! But it doesn’t stop the effects of the fire flashers.
Fiera takes one more shot at him, but he also turns and introduces her to his Bullzooka as he demorphs.

OOH-AH-OOH! Octoroo and Dayu wonder why Jayden hasn’t died yet. Octoroo says if he’s the head of the Shiba family, he should’ve had enough fire power to consume him. There’s only one explanation, Octoroo says.

Jayden gives Kevin the Black Box and tells him to lead as Fiera embiggens and the Rangers hop into the Megazord. They struggle.

PRS39

Meanwhile, Jayden, barely conscious sees a woman walking towards him. She says it’s okay, she’ll handle this. A Samuraizer is whipped out as the Folding Zords have separated.

But suddenly, Jayden’s Lion Zord pops in. The others wonder who’s piloting it since Jayden’s still on the ground.

“Hair like yours needs a good blow dry.”

Pantagonal fury is unleashed as this female Red Ranger finishes Fiera off.

PRS39

The Rangers head back down to Jayden who’s awake. They help him up when the female Red Ranger jumps down. They demand to know who she is.

PRS39

She demorphs. Yup, it’s a girl.

PRS39

Jayden tells them that’s his big sister, Lauren.

PRS39

The Rangers throw “a million questions at her,” but Mia says they should start by welcoming her to the Samurai Rangers. Lauren says she can’t wait to get to know everyone, especially her little brother.

PRS39

Back home, the Rangers have story time with Mentor/Ji. He explains everything. In the last Nighlok invasion, the Rangers were being overwhelmed. Papa Shiba put all his faith in his two children and first sent Lauren into hiding to fully enable her to master the sealing power. While she was away, Jayden had to step in.

PRS39

Papa Shiba sealed Xandred away on the Sanzu just enough to allow Lauren to master the sealing power and Jayden to grow enough to fight off the Nighlok.

Mentor/Ji says to trick the Nighlok, Jayden had to hide this from his best friends. Mentor/Ji says now that she’s popped up, she’s ready to use the sealing power. The moment they’ve been waiting for.

PRS39

Lauren sits with Jayden who’s all bandaged up. She tells him how proud she was seeing him in battle yesterday and pours him some green tea (yup). She says he must have felt as alone as she has all this time. Yeah, but the others have become like brothers and sisters to him. Lauren hopes they can be like a family too.

But Jayden says they can’t be together now. You are now the Red Ranger, he says. The only way for her to take over as the leader is for him to leave. She cries.

PRS39

Because the others are too loyal to him, he has to leave otherwise mistakes could be made. He can’t let that happen.

“Are you sure?”
“There can only be one Red Ranger.”

The Rangers are having a barbeque to welcome Lauren. She takes a seat as Antonio hands her a burger.

Mike picks up her old-school shodophone/Samuraizer, saying it’s a classic and he could write Kanji symbols like a master with it. Lauren is uncomfortable with his touching.

“I wouldn’t go that far. Mike has Kanji issues.”

Lauren takes it from him and says it belonged to her father. He used it in his last battle. Mike apologizes. Inside, Jayden is packing.

PRS39

Emily is excited to have another girl on the team. She suggests they have a girls’ day out. Suddenly, Jayden comes out of the manse with his bag. He hands her the Black Box and discs… in a box to Lauren.

PRS39

He turns to the others and says they have to follow Lauren now. She is the new Red Ranger, he says. He’s going on a trip… permanently. The others protest, the girls are crying.

Mia: “Jayden. You can’t go. You know how we all feel.”

He says he knows, but Lauren is the one who knows the sealing power. Only she can end this fight and bring peace. They need to rally around her.

PRS39

Antonio says they need him too and demands… orders Lauren to tell him that as well. She can’t. Mentor comes out.

“You can’t stop him. No one can.”

Jayden turns to his mentor.

“Ji. You’ve been my guiding light. Thank you for everything.”

PRS39

Jayden goes down the line and tells them, “It’s been an honor to fight by your side.”

Kevin wants to go with him, but Jayden tells him they have stay and fight with his sister. And that he’ll make her as proud as he’s made him.

Jayden walks out the front door.

PRS39

Mentor/Ji is washing dishes later. The other Rangers are moping in the living room. Emily says fighting alongside him made her a stronger warrior. Mike asks if they’re supposed to forget him like he never existed. Of course not, Lauren says. Kevin says they have a duty as Samurai to keep fighting.

But Antonio says since he’s not really a true Samurai he’s going to go after him.

Mike pulls a Kanye West and tells Taylor Swift Lauren, she might be a great Samurai and all, but it’s not the same without Jayden.

PRS39

Episode Thoughts
Oh damn! That might have been the best episode of Power Rangers Samurai ever! Evah! All that drama and angst! And surprisingly, some effective acting! I think Kimberley Crossman(Lauren) just elevated everyone else’s acting. She was just great.

The episode itself was fast paced, but emotionally effective. I can’t even believe I was affected by it. lol That’s thanks to both the writing and the acting. I also loved what they did with that scene of Lauren getting whisked away into hiding. By an American Kuroko! Also, have they ever established that the Rangers’ parents were also Rangers. The ones who fought in the last battle with Xandred?

I could’ve done without Antonio’s dick-ish behavior though. He screamed at a girl that had been nothing but nice to them since she got there. She also saved their asses, so…

It was kind of strange hearing them talk about the sealing symbol again since they barely touch on it and I really don’t even remember the last time it was mentioned.

How Much Better Was Sentai Than Power Rangers?
Corresponding Shinkenger Episodes: Act 44 – The Eighteenth Head of the Shiba House and Act 45 – The Impersonator

So, Samurai obviously cut out all the New Year’s and Japanese stuff. But again, surprisingly enough, they managed to take the Shinkenger episodes and really make the scripts their own. Shinkenger’s episodes were far more emotional. The whole lord-retainer aspect added a whole other dimension to the relationship of Takeru and the other Shinkengers. And those two sides to their relationship made it that much harder to accept Takeru wasn’t their leader. I admit, I cried during Shinkenger’s episode.

Anyone else expecting Emily or I guess Mia utter “Jayden Shiba is Jayden Shiba”?

Speaking of Mia. One of the few things Samurai stumbled on this episode was Mia’s seemingly lovesick looks toward Jayden. That whole first scene with her lovingly watching Jayden training complete with that music was odd. But then after watching the Shinkenger episodes again, I see they were trying to translate Mako’s worry and concern for Takeru.

For Mako, that was in-character for her since she was the big sister of the group and was always very observant. She also sensed something was wrong with Takeru a long time ago. Mia’s never had that worry and they way they played that scene in Samurai, it came off like she was crushing on Jayden.

As for Lauren, Kaoru was bad ass. She was young, but kicked a lot of butt as soon as she arrived. I definitely hope Lauren does the same. This episode showed Lauren more as the awkward new arrival walking on eggshells. Hopefully in the next episodes, she steps it up and maybe shows the others she’s got what it takes to be a leader.

Anyway, overall, the strongest episode of Samurai ever. If they can finish out the season like this, then it might help ease the pain of all the Samurai we’ve watched up to now.

ETA: After perusing the boards, it got me thinking about Jayden and Takeru leaving the team and ceding the leadership role to Lauren and Kaoru respectively.

Jayden’s walking away is much different from Takeru I think, because Takeru and Kaoru weren’t related at all. Takeru was just some talented kid they thrust to be a stand-in. So when the real Shiba head arrives, one of Takeru’s burdens is lifted, but now he has to step aside and step away from these retainers who’ve become his friends and really, his family even though he’s tried not to get too attached to them.

I guess Jayden has less legitimate reason to walk away, since there’s none of that lord-retainer dimension in his relationship with the Rangers. And he’s always been their friend. So even more reason for him to stay and help. With Lauren actually being his big sister, he should be that more understanding and willing to stay, though I still liked the way they handled his leaving.

Samurai didn’t depict Jayden struggling through his secret as much as Takeru though, but again, without the lord-retainer relationship, there were less opportunities to do so. No putting up a front with the others while silently appreciating their company, even though there were many times some of those scenes were translated into Samurai completely out of context (of course).


Power Rangers is on DVD!
Want to own Power Rangers Samurai? The entire season available at
.

And you can finally own the first seven seasons of Power Rangers, from Mighty Morphin to Lost Galaxy by ordering now:

0 thoughts on “Recap: Power Rangers (Super) Samurai, Episode (16) 39 (or 40) – Fight Fire with Fire

  1. a decent episode but i still felt that some of the lines got clunky like the girls day out stuff and Jayden’s reasoning for leaving the team was kinda forced there was no logical reason as to why he had to leave the mansion at the very least he could have stayed around and helped the transition to a new leader or used his powers to help the rangers in the final battle they’re about to face Xandred and he’s ditching them leaving them all skrewed up mentally and emotionally, Cant say i minded Antonio that much he was nice to Lauren IMO until she let Jayden walk out of the Shiba house all emo like and decided to go after him (like everyone should have), however i am glad they had the decency to not include Karou’s annoying retainer Tanba that guy was just a douche overall and i was dreading samurai translating that over like they usually do.

    1. That “girls day out” stuff is to be expected from Samurai I guess. But considering what we’ve gotten this entire series, this was a great episode.

      With Jayden leaving, I think that’s a case of translating again. Like him saying “they’re too loyal” at the start of the episode. In Shinkenger, Takeru was struggling with that the whole series, knowing he’d have to cede his position to Kaoru. I guess it was a quick fix.

      And Tanba, huge douche. lol Definitely. But he was pretty much used to show Kaoru wasn’t a huge bitch I think. Also to highlight how awesome Jii was. =D

Share your thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top