If only life were that simple. But the fact is, opposite camps will always exist, constantly at war with each other. There will be those who'll crawl through a storm of hyper-vigilant criticism to lick the dust from Bruce's feet, and there will be those who want to hang him out to dry on the Lightspeed Megazord's ladder arms. It's those poor, unfortunate souls in the middle who suffer for it.
Eep. I'm beginning to feel like a certain sea witch now. Ahem...
I have been willing to give Bruce the benefit of the doubt coming into Power Rangers. I fully understood that more than likely, we were going to be in for some bumps this season with new blood onboard. I felt the same way prior to Ninja Storm and Doug and Ann weren't newbies by any means. Ninja Storm turned out to be a very enjoyable series, as did Dino Thunder. I loved both shows on their own merits. Each had qualities that appealed to my tastes.
What the criticism against Bruce seems to boil down to is his tendency to take what DekaRanger gives him and translate it verbatum to Power Rangers. That, and his apparant disregard for the continuity of the Ranger universe that Dino Thunder just spent an entire season reflecting on just for the fans. People are upset that Bruce wants S.P.D. to stand alone, untouched by the past incarnations, and for that reason, he didn't watch any of the episodes of Power Rangers to familiarize himself with the nuances of the franchise. Doug did that, and we applaud him for his efforts, while Bruce gets labeled a hackjob and a continuity rapist.
I find those extremes terribly unfair ... to an extent.
First of all, I find flaming someone, anyone, on a personal level to be wrong. It is childish and degrading. The quality of a handful of television shows does not have any bearing whatsoever on the personal life of Bruce Kalish. This is still a man trying to make a living, raise a family, and do the best he can.
Does anyone honestly think any rational person gets ready to write/produce a show thinking, "Oh boy, I'm really gonna screw the fans over with this one! What can I do to make them hate my guts this time?" Bruce is not out to get us. He doesn't have an agenda, and he's not using S.P.D. to antagonize us. He's trying to do his job, the same as Doug, Ann, and the rest of the crew. Like Doug, though, because he's put himself out there, he's exposed himself to the dark, ugly side of the fandom. I don't like it when people bring a man's personal life into their criticism, but like Doug, he's made himself the face of S.P.D. as a result. And that makes him a target, whether he likes it or not.
Secondly, I can hardly fault Bruce for wanting to blaze his own trail. That's totally cool with me if he truly believes it's in the best interest of the series. Power Rangers hasn't survived this long by doing exactly what every season in the past has done. Granted, there are concepts reused, but the seasons each work as diverse threads that come together to create this rich web that is the PR universe. Warrior Jedah once put this in excellent perspective. The flexiblity of the core concept is the show's greatest strength.
That being said, while I don't go to the extremes that many of these critics do, I can understand their concerns. I agree that S.P.D. feels directionless. I can no longer feel the personal connection to the Rangers that I was able to enjoy once again with Ninja Storm and DinoThunder. I won't say they're back to being cardboard stereotypes; I get just enough Bridge, Z and even Syd quirks to prevent that. The villains aren't taken seriously nor do I find them amusing. If they're not one or the other, that doesn't leave much to hold to. The stories blatantly contradict each other. The acting is very scattershot. Sometimes it clicks, others it sounds like a half-hearted cold reading of lines.
There are many things about the show that simply nag the hell out of me like a bad itch that just won't go away. I don't think Jack has any business being the leader of the team. Don't believe me? Watch "Back to the Past, Samurai Jack" (a.k.a. "Samurai"). You'll see exactly what I'm talking about. If Jack still believes it's the weapons that make a warrior this late in the game, then it's a wonder his team's made it this far. Heck, CRUGER himself bashed Jack as a leader in "Dog Gone Shame" part 1 (a.k.a. "Shadow"). If you don't even have the full support of your supreme commander, that should tell you something.
I don't like the regressions in character, seen most evidently in Sky. Granted, he was doing fine, progressing right along as he gradually loosened up, even started to see eye-to-eye with Jack...then we get "Wootox! I Got You All in Check!" (a.k.a. "Recognition"). Total regression. All of a sudden, he's back to being the cold, stand-offish prick who won't play fetch with R.I.C. When did this happen? No idea. It was there purely for the sake of finding out who Sky was at the end. I'll stop myself short of going all out on that dud of an eppie.
I don't care for the prop reuses. Bruce has acknowledged that their use is for budgetary reasons and for the sake of fanwanks. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have a problem with that kind of reasoning. But when you go into Power Rangers and don't do your research on the show...it's one thing to leave your own unique mark. It's quite another to play in someone else's sandbox while you're at it. Using their toys without any regard for their proper, established place in the sandcastle. Sky's dad wearing a Red TF uniform. Cruger in a crimson cloak wielding the Spiral Saber. Blue Senturion repackaged. I don't consider those fanwanks. I consider them violated. What then becomes of the sandcastle?
I don't like the nasty feeling I've been getting that we're halfway through the series and very little of significance has taken place. It took S.P.D. until "Dru the Right Thing" (a.k.a. "Idol") to give us a start-to-finish satisfactory piece. It took the show until "Dog Gone Shame" to give us Cruger's background and finally give the season any sense of purpose and direction. Yet oddly enough, take away Cruger's subplot and what's left? Not much to make me excited for what's to come.
But anyway, that's my ramble/rant. Long story short, I have nothing against Bruce Kalish on a personal level. However, I don't mince words when I say I'm deeply distressed about Power Rangers S.P.D.'s apparant direction. Or lack of one.
) have respect for continuity. We have a reference to KO-35. We've seen Aquitians TWICE, when they could've spent all of their time making up their own aliens. Remember to concentrate on the good as well as the bad, that's all I'm saying. SPD has it's faults, but it has its greatness as well, and while only three episodes have truly rocked my world "Beginnings, Shadow and Idol", the others have been enjoyable, which is enough for me.
