Power Rangers Wild Force


Power Rangers Wild Force
"A Father's Footsteps"
Original Air Date:7/6/02		Featuring Footage & Most Story Elements From: Gaoranger #11 - - Chichioya, Jyoukyou(Father, Journeys To The Capital)
Season 10, bite 21 Official Fox Kids Show Number PR-1221 21st episode of PRWF 439th total Power Rangers episode
Writer: Suzi Shimoyama		Director: Koichi Sakamoto
Starring Cast: Ricardo Medina, Jr. _AS_ Cole (Red Ranger) Alyson Kiperman _AS_ Taylor (Yellow Ranger) Phillip Jeanmarie _AS_ Max (Blue Ranger) Jessica Rey _AS_ Alyssa (White Ranger) Jack Guzman _AS_ Danny (Black Ranger) Ann Marie Crouch _AS_ Princess Shayla Sin Wong _AS_ Toxica		Additional Cast: Branscombe Richmond _AS_ Mr. Enrile Raymond Ma _AS_ Mr. Tasaki Hugh Holub _AS_ Professor Julia Nickson _AS_ Mrs. Enrile Gerald Okamura _AS_ Sensei Danny Wayne Stallcup _AS_ Jindrax Tom Wyner _AS Samurai Org (voice)

SUMMARY:

[Opening Credits.]

Out in the woods somewhere, is your standard ancient Japanese style dojo. An old guy, called "Sensei" in the credits, is practicing some loud martial arts moves by himself on the wood floors. He's bald, with a long white goatee type beard, has a black belt, and despite what I said in "The Chosen Path" about that guy, THIS guy is REALLY Kai-Ogi from MMAR! Anyway, as he's doing some hand gestures and kiyaah calls, the camera focuses in on a certain item amid his collection of oriental weapons. It's a suit of Samurai armor (not too different than that worn by Lucas in "Movie Madness" last season), placed against a wall in the back center of the studio. A ball of purple light streaks down from the sky, changing to a more orange pulsing hue as it cuts through the forest, enters the dojo through an open door, flanks around Sensei's surprised head, and makes its way toward the suit of armor. The ball of light, or rather, the concentrated Org Spirit, collides with the armor, and in a brief electric gleam with puff of smoke, the Samurai Org is born! What does he look like? Well, he's got the usual armor padding things, colored red & blue, hanging over his thighs, golden shoulder blades, golden chest armor with a strange Kabuki-type mask face imprinted across his chest, golden spike-knuckled hands, and where his head should be there's two large oppositely curling golden horns, with a single blue eye below & between them. Samurai Org hops off the stand, faces the shocked Sensei, and in a deep & raspy voice, challenges him to defend his fighting style! Sensei immediately accepts without a word, the two combatants getting into their stances. Samurai Org lunges forth first, though Sensei manages to get the upperhand to begin with, hitting hard and even twisting the Org around after grabbing his twin horns! The Org hits the elder Asian man quickly, right in the gut, causing him to topple over in grunting agony, clutching his chest and curling up in a fetal position. Watching this from the sidelines are the Demonized Duke Orgs, each clapping in approval. Jindrax remarks that Samurai Org is impressive. This gains his surprised attention, calling them 'one-horns.' Jindrax confirms, commenting that Samurai Org is truly the master of the martial arts. Samurai bows before them respectfully, asking how he may serve them. Toxica explains that they represent Master Org, who has a gift for him, and would like him to use it. It's a traditional style samurai katana sword! Samurai Org accepts the gift, proclaiming that it will be his honor. He and the Duke Orgs teleport away in a purple blaze that fades into the ground, leaving behind only Toxica's wicked laughter. Sensei finally recovers, only to slap the ground and grunt in disgust over missing his chance to have a rematch.

Elsewhere, in something like Turtle Cove Park I suppose, Alyssa is sparring with Max & Danny. Each I wearing their own Ranger-colored sweat-suit, though surprisingly the outfits lack any "Spirit of the Earth" emblems. Max is a blue with yellow stripes hooded sweatshirt ensemble, Danny's is a black number with white stripes down the legs and in total contrast to his long-sleeved best friend his arms are totally bare, and Alyssa has a very tight fitting white jogging suit with a light pink shirt underneath. Umm, the sparring? Oh, Alyssa is kicking the two guys' butts considerably. That's this whole scene in a nutshell. She's got some SERIOUS martial arts training going on, which makes up for his petite size triple time. Alyssa kicks and flips and hits, taking Danny & Max down onto the rough lawn multiple times. Max is a little less serious in his attacks, but even those chaotic assaults fall flat in the fact of Alyssa's calmness and order. Due to the amount of experienced movements these scenes require, it's painfully obvious when a stunt double is onscreen... none moreso than Max's, who has an afro wig so fake that it looks like he stole it from Olaf the "Berserker" guy from the movie "Clerks." But hey. Anyway, Alyssa does a specific stance during much of this, one that'll be important later despite how we've never seen her use it before: holding her body poised sideways, right arm up, left arm braced against her chest. It serves her well in toppling the dopey duo on more than one occasion. Weary, winded, wounded, and incredibly sore, Danny & Max remain lying on the ground after their last beating. Danny is dumbfounded as to how she did that, and Max scoffs that she just got lucky today, until Danny points out that she's been lucky every day for the past four months! Alyssa just smiles humbly, and when Danny asks where she learned to fight like that (you'd think if they'd been doing this "every day for 4 months" he'd have asked SOONER), she simply answers that her dad taught her everything that she knows.

Soon, back on the flying turtle-shaped island known as the Animarium, Alyssa is back in her usual attire, though with her pink apron over it. Seems she can kick butt and still make it home in time to make breakfast, as she slaps a couple of freshly baked pancakes onto Cole's plate. He thanks, she happily tells him he's welcome. Taylor is at the table next to Cole, her face buried in the latest newspaper as she nurses a cup of some liquid. Alyssa places the serving tray back over near the oven area, where Princess Shayla is sitting on her chair, helping to constantly poke at what looks to be scrambled eggs on the grill. Danny & Max, still in their workout outfits, come staggering onto the temple floor, grasping various sore muscles and having just now returned from the city! They sit at the table, where Cole bemusedly asked who 'won' today. The two bitterly gesture at Alyssa simultaneously, as she begins to prepare the serving tray for Shayla's sizzlin' hot, overly-prodded eggs! Cole steps behind Danny & Max, slaps his hands down, one on each of their shoulders, causing their aching muscles considerable pain. They cry out, and he playfully remarks that she "got lucky again". Taylor glances up from her newspaper, cracking a small grin. Max & Danny complain that they don't have enough time to practice like she does, as they're busy doing 'important things', and Alyssa has a lot more free time than them. Taylor nips this fib in the bud by slapping down the front page of the newspaper she was reading. It's the Turtle Cove Times, a publication of Turtle Cove University, it says. Right there on the front page, in bland black & white, is a picture of Alyssa, holding a plaque, and shaking the hand of an old white guy in a business suit. The headline reads, "Environmental Student Receives Highest Honor." Taylor merely taps her finger against the article, prompting the stunned pair, along with an equally amazed Cole, to begin reading it. Max reads the gist of it aloud, "Alyssa Enrile is awarded the Kaplan Scholarship for maintaining a perfect grade point average." (Enrile is pronounced "in-reel-ey", and Kaplan is probably some in-joke involving MMPR-PRT Principal Kaplan). Max grumpily corrects his earlier remarks, agreeing reluctantly that she's busy too. As Alyssa is serving the freshly made scrambled eggs to Danny & Max, Cole asks why she didn't tell them about the award. She humbly claims it's no big deal, though Danny, ever awe-struck, says it sounds like it is to him. Taylor & Princess Shayla remain in the background, smiling like loons over the humor of it all. Alyssa is taking off her apron, slipping on her backpack, and getting ready to head out to class, when her Growl Phone rings! She immediately takes it out of her right side vest pocket, and curiously answers with a pleasant hello. On the other end, is a middle-aged man, with long dark hair, and tanned skin. He's in a phone booth, and speaking with a burly voice, he says Alyssa's name into the phone inquisitively. Alyssa instantly recognizes his voice, exclaiming aloud in excitement, "DAD?!" It is, indeed, her dad, aptly named, "Mr. Enrile." He gives a heart chuckle at her response, and explains that he's in Turtle Cove on Business, and if she's free, he'd like to have lunch afterwards. Alyssa is quite hyper, agreeing instantly, and telling him that she gets out of her biology class at 3:00, and they can meet at the university café. Mr. Enrile scribbles this info down on his handy dandy (cue musical noise) notebook, repeating it aloud, and then telling her he'll see her there. They both say their goodbyes with love and respect oozing in their voices. Alyssa closes her Growl Phone, then Max asks if that was her dad (I guess she must call lots of guys "dad"), and Danny enthusiastically asks if it's the one who taught her martial arts. She confirms. Danny thinks he must be as strong as an ox. Alyssa says, tongue in cheek of course, that he once wrestled an ox... and won.

Here's the montage scene. Alyssa's typical day at Turtle Cove University. There's peppy bongo-infused dance music playing throughout. Okay, let's break it down: Alyssa rides her bike to school, cheerfully greeting random people she hopefully knows. She sits in a classroom filled with her peers, taking notes of what the teacher writes on the board. She's handed back a scantron, finding an A+ circled in red ink smack dab in the center of it. Proud of herself, she tells the teacher thanks, and all the dopey students sitting around her are in awe. Later, Alyssa sits in the library, doing math or something. Whatever it is, if you ask me, as one student to another, she's enjoying it just a liiiiiitle TOO much. Finally, her school day is rounded off with some sort of modern dance class. Whatever it is, she's at the head of the class, she's boogying down with a bright smile as always, though her hair looks all sweaty and stringy for a change. Also she's got another new outfit! Whoa, this is like Christmas for a character stuck in the same stinky clothes all season! It's pink pants, a grey shirt over a white one or something like that... Oh, what do YOU care anyway? The montage ends there, as does the music. Meanwhile, somewhere else in Turtle Cove, is some sort of oriental dojo place with one of those specifically designed bridges. Young Asian man in karate uniform faces older Asian man in karate uniform. Two big floppy bamboo sticks are used. They have a fight, older Asian man wins. Older Asian Man (insert accordion solo). Observing this sparring is Mr. Enrile, who walks in, carrying his black leather bags, which matches his black leather jacket and such. He claps his hands, telling Older Asian Man (whom he calls "Sensei Tasaki", maybe a reference to PRLG-PRLR director Ryuta Tasaki) that he did very nice. Tasaki tells "Enrile-san" that it is so good to see him, as they shake hands. Both Tasaki and Young Asian man bow respectfully before this visitor from afar.

Back at the school, Alyssa walks down a busy hallway. She pauses before the bulletin board, noticing a crudely done flyer reading "Join the Turtle Cove University Karate Club." (it lacks any contact information, amusingly) This inspires a flashback! With Vaseline around the edges of the screen, we journey back a year or so ago, maybe a little less, to what seems to the outside area of the Enrile Family Dojo. Mr. Enrile has a black karate uniform, while Alyssa, and the four Asian guys around her, have the standard white. All have black belts, of course. Alyssa, barefoot on the grass, faces the four, and long fight scene short, she kicks their butts single handedly. The four guys bow respectfully when the sparring session is over, but wobble off, as sore and injured as Danny & Max were in the earlier scene. Alyssa, with her hair in some kind of pigtails, nervously addresses her father about something important. Mr. Enrile pleasantly smiles, and asks what it is. She explains that she's put a lot of thought into it, and she wants to go to Turtle Cove University next year. Dad's expression changes from nice & warm, to shocked and offended. Alyssa happily stresses this decision's importance, how she wants to study science and learn all she can about nature. Dad is, understandably, annoyedly. He remarks that he's not going to let her throw away everything's he's taught her, and denies her request. He walks away from her, and with his back turned to his daughter, Mr. Enrile declares that she's going to stay there to carry on the Enrile Tiger Style family tradition. Alyssa is on the verge of tears, struggling to hold back emotion. The flashback ends, showing Alyssa now, still in the hallway, smiling. She whispers aloud, "I'm trying, dad." The bell rings, and she goes urgently running out the door.

Back at Sensei Tasaki's place, it seems that the abundance of Asian men aren't the only students of his school, as men and women of other races are around as well. Anyway, Mr. Enrile sits up under a cabana with Tasaki, both sipping tea. Dad is surprised to see the elder gentleman is still training others. To which the Sensei informs him he won't be for long, as his old body doesn't move the way it used to. Both men laugh, neither a stranger to incontinence. Tasaki plans to let his son take over his dojo, and asks if Enrile's daughter is doing, thinking she must be ready to take his place soon. With a heavy heart expressed on his face, Dad softly replies that Alyssa doesn't practice Enrile Tiger Style anymore, she's going to the university instead, and he's happy for her, since it's what she wants. Tasaki is stunned by this revelation, asking what's going to happen to the Tiger Style, which he claims is the Enrile family tradition. Papa Enrile laments that he guesses it's going to end with him. He then takes a full swig of tea... though he's probably in the mood for some sake right now.
[commercials]

So, what you just read was the last of my "oversized capsules", which I tried to do during PRWF's initial run once I stopped doing in-depth summaries. They ended up taking too long to do anyway, so I quit 'em. Not to worry, now I've got a handle on the situation, and here's a far more slimmed down capsule summary of the rest of the episode, from this point:

Samurai Org chops a few cars in half. Alyssa gets called on her Growl Phone by Taylor, and has to rudely interrupt her professor in the middle of teaching the college class about glycolysis. She ditches the glass, joins her teammates, and takes on Samurai Org while morphed. Meanwhile, 3pm comes and goes. Mr. Enrile waits at the destination, happily at first. But after 16 minutes of waiting, he gets directions to the biology building, asks where Alyssa is from the professor, and learns about her ditching. He's quite mad, and has a flashback to another point in Alyssa's youth. She plead for her father to let her explore her dreams, but he had her pass his test of stopping him with his kendo sword. She failed, getting smacked on the shoulder good in the process. After her crying about wanting not to follow in his footsteps but to follow her own path, he gave in, giving her permission to go to college. Flashback ends, and Dad now seems to regret letting her become a typical slacker.

The Wild Force Rangers continue battling Samurai Org. They don't do so well, and White Ranger being in a hurry to go meet her father doesn't help matters at first. But it ends up giving her the added incentive and strength to overcome his blast attacks, and beat him off. Mr Enrile, still searching for Alyssa, spots the Rangers in action, and watches from afar. When White Tiger Ranger does the Enrile Tiger Style, Dad immediately realizes the shocking truth, that the Ranger is his daughter! He's very proud when Samurai Org pulls the same move on her that he did during his "test", and this time, she stops the blade. After the Org is heavily tenderized by Alyssa, the Rangers use the Jungle Saber on him, turning him into the goop. The Demonized Duke Orgs appear on the scene, allowing Toxica to say her incantation and make Samurai Org grow. The Rangers bring together the Kongazord, but it proves a little ineffective against his "Full Moon Strike" attack. With all his "moon power" attacks, you'd think Merrick would be involved, but nope! Anyway, Alyssa summons the White Tiger Wildzord, which assists the Kongazord when it's down by chomping Samurai's blade in half and clawing his chest-face. Samurai Org is next struck with the Kongazord's Swinging Anchor attack, which uses that cute banana anchor weapon. Finally, he's defeated with the Double Knuckle blow of the Polar & Black Bear arms.

Soon, dusk has fallen on the city of Turtle Cove. Alyssa races frantically to catch her father before he departs. She has another flashback, to the day when she departed for college. As she drug her suitcase out of her room, she overheard her parents talking. Seems Dad really was supportive of her decisions in life, though he could never tell her that to her face. Alyssa was brought to tears then, and is so again now. Luckily, Mr Enrile has waited for her, and is wowed when he discovers the front page article on her winning the Kaplan Award. When she shows up, he stuffs the paper in his bag and tells her he has to be going. But he's happy to have seen her, and tells her he's very proud of his daughter. Dad kisses her on the forehead, tells her he loves her, and heads off. But first, he turns around, gives the upper fist movement of the Tiger Style, and proclaims, "Good luck, my White Tiger!" Alyssa realizes that he knows her secret identity, and laughs joyfully. She rushes over and gives him a hug, then takes his bag and walks him to the bus station, his arm around her.