Alright we are in part two of our little episode guide and in our next group of episodes. But before we hit the next group let’s recap a little. So far we’ve been introduced to our group of heroes and the world they inhabit. We had a couple of good character bits, including from our villain Lord Dread. And some seeds have been planted for the first year story arc and the future. Not bad for six episodes. Now let’s see were the next group takes us.

Power suits fully charged? Good. You know what to hit to get past the jump.

 

How about something a little different for this round, apparently there were some official Captain Power music videos released on VHS back in the day. Let’s play one now

 

Episodes 7 – The Mirror in Darkness

A family group meets up with Captain Power. He assures them that they will be safe then shots a flare into the air. Soaron shows up and digitizes the confused and terrified group. And he and Power seem very friendly all of the sudden. But an old blind man and a young boy don’t aren’t seen by them and get away. Meanwhile Power, what the hey???, and the rest investigate a transmission on an old radio frequency finding three seemly abandoned settlements. They are attacked by Soaron who was still in the area. They fight him off but they’re forced to land. Turns out the “Power” we seen previously is working for Dread, we’ll call him Jason from now on since that’s his name. The real Power scouts ahead and is potted by the young boy. Coming across him he depowers the suit to prove he’s human but is knocked out by the boy looking for revenge for his family. Confused and chained up Power is told he going to be put on trial, then they’ll kill him. Good ol’ justice gotta love it. The young boy is confident that Power was the one he saw from earlier but the old man isn’t sure since the voice sounds the same but different. Power gets away while the boy and others vote on his fate. Good thing too since they voted for him to die. Activating his Power suit he takes care of them easily but doesn’t hurt them. Convincing them he wants this guy just as bad waits for him. Jason shows up ready to set up another group but instead met by Power. Jason brought back up that after a bit of a fight Power takes care of. Then he goes after Jason, dismantling his fake suit and tying him up. And the boy signals Soaron as his punishment who digitizes Jason thinking it’s another set up from Jason. Power fights him off with the message “No more Imposters!” Dread finds this out then leaves him in the machine.

You’re typical “evil imposter” episodes. You really can’t get away from it with these types of shows. But we have a couple of interesting concepts. The first being some back water folks in the post apocalypse with their own way of talking. Such as calling Soaron a “Bio Bird” or one of them saying “I skull me an idea”, or something similar. They even sound redneck. Thiere is this other idea that Power has become this symbol of hope to some of the survivors. Of course Dread uses this to his advantage, like any good bad guys should, and Power naturally takes offence to this. During the fight I wouldn’t say he goes ape shit on Jason but he does seem to take this personally. Going so far as stopping himself and say Jason almost made him break his promise to his father that he would never harm human life. Granted it’s the typical hero thing to say but he did act like he took this deception in his name personally. It does show a slightly more human side to Power than your typical 80s good guy at the time.

 

Episodes 8 – Ferryman

A company of BioDreads come across a strange man in the streets saying he has information on Power. But it’s an ambush, and a quick one as they take out the troop and the tank. Scout tries to get the memory banks out of the one in charge as more shows up as Tank covers him. They all leave as Soaron shows up. He attacks them but they use a new afterburner upgrade to get away from him. Dread graduates a group of Dread Youth as a new batch of Over Units with the typical new future villian speech. He finds out the banks Power took had information on a stage of Project New Order. Power has Mentor hook into the memory banks and finds out about Project New Order. Dread talks to Overmind about this stage saying they need to step up this stage of Project New Order and orders the banks destroyed. The banks are destroyed but they’re still connected to Mentor. He’s taken offline and Power freaks out a little. Dread monologues about this part of the plan since the plan is to make an new warlord. Overmind chides Dread for having pride in his voice like a mere human. Hawk thinks he has things ready but says if it doesn’t work it’ll fry all of Mentor circuits. Power doesn’t want to see the possibility of his father die all over again but gives the word. After a brief unsure moment it works and Mentor is online once again. Most of the information is gone but he still has the information on this stage of Project New Order. Seeing they need a lot of power with all the work on the power station and that Dread needs to broadcast it Power comes up with the idea to meet the beams where the beams converge and intercept them and send them back. Dread sends Soaron to stop them. Power faces Soaron in the XT-7 jet and shoots the BioDread down as the power feedback disables the power stations. But one the new warlords gets threw and something else that Dread is less than pleased with. But Overmind gives him orders of his own after Dread leaves.

 

I guess this is what you would call a story arc episode. It furthers the Project New Order storyline by introducing the four stages and gives us our new BioDread Blastarr. It also gives us Lackey, something Overmind created to serve itself and Dread. Lackey isn’t CGI like Soaron and Blastarr but an actual prop on set, actually he looks a bit like a deformed Blastarr in a way. But it now seeming like Overmind has his own agenda going on, multiple arcs of story telling you got to love it. We also get a brief look to the human part of Dread’s empire with the Dread Youth’s graduation and the speech he gives them. Much like A Fire in the Dark we get to see Dread human side come out of the machine a bit with the pride he has for his new warlords. This is also the debut of the XT-7 in action. It’s actually part of the jump ship Power and company uses to get round. Since the toy version of the ship was one of the selling points in the commercial that aired before the show did it’s about time they put it in the show. I think this is also the first time we see the Overmind room as it was just a disembodied voice before now. Overmind itself is a white ball with lights on the inside and this bar spinning up and down around it.

 

Episode 9 – And Study war No More

the new BioDread Blastarr is apparently enjoy himself blowing up a boulder but Dread tells him to continue to the target. a group of BioDreads  reach an ambush position as Power and company intercepts the communications between them and Dread and investigate and discover some strange power readings. Powering up uht suits and use the holocam to disguise the ship. Can anybody say “Somebody remember where we parked”?. Finding an energy reading the BioDreads attack and the crew heads to the cave for cover. Realizing they can’t get out the way they came in they explore the cave, powering down the suits to conserve energy. Finding where the energy readings are stronger they welcomed by a voice from a camera and are told they are welcome in Haven. There they find underground community for those tired of the fighting, led by Miles Williamson and also meet his assistant Chelsea, who Scout takes an immediate liking to jumping on the offer when she offers a tour, much to the amusement of Hawk and Tank. Williamson give the rest a tour of the geothermal plant that Pilot takes a particular interest in. Finding out the generators are putting out more power than the city need. Chelsea while giving Scout the tour starts to imply Miles had to make some “difficult decisions.” Miles comes in and tries to convince her that he needs her to help convince them to stay. While walking around the Tank and Pilot find a quote from the “Good book”. Finding a locked door Pilot uses her multitool to open it and finds canister with the marked with the symbols of the Styx part of Project New Order but they’re shot by something. Chelsea tries to warn Scout but Miles buts ins and gets him and Power and the rest for a trap. Turns out Miles has a deal with Dread for the excess energy in order to keep Haven safe. Power and crew fights back and takes out the Bioreads guarding them and try to escape. Despite Miles begging them not to Chelsea orders an evacuation and goes to show Power how to blow up the geothermal generators. Here they met Blastarr who digitizes Miles when he begs for help. Using an escape hatch Blastarr is stopped by a thermal grenades and the escape before Haven explodes. But Blastarr survived.

 

This episode had a few interesting points going for it, or at least I thought it did. Tank is familiar enough with the “Good Book” to recognize a quote from it. We also learn that it isn’t required reading the in the Dread Youth when Tank asks Pilot about it. We also have an underground paradise and what the guy in charge felt needed to be done in order to protect those under him. Kind of a Paradice isn’t exactly what it type of deal, something they were planning dealing with in a little more depth with Eden 2 and never got the chance. We also get our first good look at Blastarr in action, with the typical good guys weapons don’t work on him. Or at least right away. Although we do get sort of an interesting twist were he has a thing against Power since he disrupted his birth and “hurt” him. It’s an interesting angle, unfortunately as I recall it isn’t played on much. Kind of disappointing that they didn’t do more with that. It’s also the first, and as I recall only, time they used the Holocam to disguise the ship. I’m not really sure why they would introduce something and not show it again, maybe something they had planned for those unmade seasons. But there is a human touch I did sort of like near the end. Since Pilot really seemed enamored with the Good Book quote Tank saved it for her. It’s a small thing but really highlights the friendship between the team members.

 

Episode 10 – The Intruder

Delivering some supplies the Powerjet is spied upon by two unknown people. One of them breaks into it and sneaks on board before Power and Hawk comes back, but he’s spied upon by one of Dread sky spies who sends Blastarr to those coordinates. the man, called Andy, hides as Power and Hawk get ready for take-off and unknowingly take him back to Base. Meanwhile Overmind tells Dread he knows that when not in his presence he lets his human emotions get the better of him. Dread gives Lackey the eye but he confirms that he serves the BioDread Empire then enters Overmind’s chamber after Dread leaves. After a smll comedy bit Andy gets out of the ship and see the base. Coming up on Mentor teaching Pilot some concepts they didn’t learn under Dread she asks him to explain “love” to her, particularly under the lovers concept. Andy contacts his partner but Pilot intercepts it and hits the alarm. Andy tries to hide from Power but is eventually caught. An interrogation reveals that this was test, he wanted the Power’s crew to join the “them”. Yes it was basically an audition. Andy’s partner get captured by the BioDreds and Blastarr and the warlord disguises his voice as his partner in order to trap Power and company. Andy begs to come along after they get a fix on the transmission since his partner wouldn’t break radio silence and use their code names if he did. Power eventually agrees. After putting a wrist grenade on Andy, apparently tank’s idea, he goes to his partner but is cornered by Blastarr. They trick the BIoDreads as Andy grabs his partner while the two sides fight it out. Disabling Blastarr with some sort of laser bazooka they get out of there. After checking Andy and friend’s background Power can’t allow them to join since they only have room for one more and needs to be able to trust them. Breaking into base, not a good way to gain that trust. Despite knowing where the Power Base is Power sets him free. Although Andy does get in one finally jab at Pilot saying since Power was such a good explainer maybe he could explain to her about love.

 

This Andy person got a lot of play in this episode and from things I’ve been reading there was a reason for that. Although we don’t know what happened to his partner he was going to join up with the Soldiers of the Future in season 2 as TNT. Although Power said they only had room for one more you do have to wonder were they got the extra power suit. Perhaps thinking about the future a bit Power and crew decided to make some more to bolster their ranks after this particular episode. When he joined Andy would have been an interesting character, an former member of a special forces unit with a bit of sarcastic humor. Like when Power caught him he casually said he came by to borrow a cup of sugar. We also get a bit more into Pilot’s ongoing subplot with her trying to learn new concepts not taught in the Dread Youth, something that might have been sparked from the quote from the previous episode, to wanting to know about love. In fact when Andy gets that last jab in while Pilot was looking a bit embarrassed Power looked sat her but not with a confused or puzzled look on his face. In fact he has a slight smile on his face. Makes you wonder if he knew about her feelings toward him. We also learn Tank has no problems using deadly force in order to keep the location of the base secret, since it was apparently his idea to fit Andy with a live wrist grenade in case he was leading them into a trap. And something to keep in mind for the future, Power ordered that in case it was the BioDreads that where invading to blow up the base.

 

Episode 11 – Flame Street

We start in Tec City that has the last bit of technology in the world, well not own by Dread any way, and some monks are walking the streets. but they’re actually Power and company. The place is still up because Dread still needs it to interface with the city databanks. A person with a cyber-implant comes up to them trying to sell them some various drugs. But they want him to take them to a person named Mind Singer, and he will for a price so he agrees. IN a back of a club the find her as Power needs to find information on Project New Order on the web. Their guide however calls up Dread and gives them up, for a “charge” something sent directly to his brain through the implant. Therefore he sends Blastarr then asks Overmind if he can interface with the cyber web. Mind Singer admits some BioDread, human more than likely, and sort of admits she copied some “spill over” from their sessions. Power wants to get in and get but she’s unsure if he can handle its since he’s never done it before, despite Hawk’s disapproval. She sends Power into the web after fitting him with some funky head gear. Blastarr and company decide then to make their presence known. But they can’t unplug Power since it will kill him. Hawk takes the lead in defending the place. Dread’s mind is put into the web once Overmind senses Power is in there, with their guide from earlier making sure nobody can pull Power out. Finding the information Power is confronted by Dread, finding out his weapons don’t work and that Dread had Overmind increase the mental connection so that if he dies in the web he’ll die in the real world. but Dread weapons work just fine taunting Power the entire time. Power is able will himself out of Dread’s illusion with Dread being confronted by Power’s father as Power fights back. Using his staff they fight in the web. Eventually confronted by a memory of his former self who says Power is right in that his new world isn’t worth it Dread is defeated. Pilot creates an EMP device from the tech that disables the BioDreads and they’re suits. Power gets back and take care of Dread lackey. And he got the information he needed.

 

Much like the imposter episode the crew behind the scene created another of human settlement with their own way of speaking and dressing. Mainly tech sounding stuff. And like they back water folk you can still understand the meaning of what they are saying. This place is also one of the, I’m guessing, few places anybody can access the web. Remember this was the 1980s, for 99% of the population if you were talking about the web it was a spider web in the corner. Using the typical 80s funky head gear to get into the web, basically using their minds to acess it, we see the web, a lot of smoke, disco lights and laser lights. Granted it was the 80s but this concept was a bit ahead of it’s time as I don’t recall any other show doing such a concept. This is also the first time we had a “face-to-face” meeting with Power and Dread. And we did have the interesting bit were Power was asking if the image from his father was from him or did Dread’s old mind conjure him up. And the part where the last of his humanity appeared and told him he was wrong. At the end while Dread is saying the will of the machine must happen he is obviously shaken by the experience. It would have been interesting to see if they used his hidden humanity in any way when he went all mechanized in season 2.

 

Episode 12 – Gemini and Counting

A mutated flu is ravaging the passages and there not enough vaccine to help everyone. And there’s not enough source material around so Mentor can synthesize it. Pilot comes up with the idea of getting into a Dread cam factory, manned by the Dread Youth, as it would have more than enough of materials to make the cure to help. Since she knows the bases operates she says she should goes in alone. Power doesn’t like the plan but knows she right. Dressing in her old Dread youth uniform they drop her off and wait. The guy’s head off a group of BioDread so Pilot can sneak into the base and so they can’t give away their location. Using an emergency exit she enters the base and runs into another female member of the Dread Youth. Pilot is able to overpower the youth but she’s hurt. But the Youth has a grenade and is willing to use it. Pilot gets it away from her then ties her up when she thinks Pilot is going to kill her. Sneaking into the lab area and “borrowing”, aka knocking the guy out, a lab coat and pass key she gets into the right lab and gets the things she needs and leaves, including a first aid kit for the injured Youth. Working on her wounds she talks to the girl, trying to make her see that she is human and not a machine like Dread teaches. The alarms go off and Dread sends Soaron (remember him, we haven’t seen him since Blastarr’s debut) to the lab to bring the intruders to him. Power intercepts him in the XT-7 while Tank goes and extract Pilot, although she has one more confrontation with the girl. Giving the cure to the doctor of the Passages Pilot can’t help but wonder if she was able to get through to the girl like Power was able to get through to her.

 

Another Pilot episode and I dare say it was a good one, especially with Pilot interacting with what was basically who she was before Power got her to open her eyes. We also get a bit with how Dread teaches the Youth in his army convincing them that having human weaknesses and feeling are evil, that what happens when you get to them young. There are also some interesting human touches here with Pilot obvious look of discomfort after she put her Dread Youth uniform back on and the girl’s confusion with the situation and the feeling she was experiencing. Seriously she didn’t know what tears were as they ran down her face while Pilot was fixing her leg. We also have the bit were Power was overly worried about Pilot going in alone. Now it could be due to the fact she would be in the middle of a Dread instillation without her power suit, or it could be part of the little romantic subplot they had going.  Maybe a little of both. This episode is the first time we see the often mentioned Passages, the place were Power and company takes the survivors they find. They look like huge underground tunnels in case you were wonder. In this episode we also get a close up of a couple of more weapons that they use to fight the BioDreads, some glowing energy ninja star, Actually Power used one on the first episode, and some crystal like knives. Now normally I wouldn’t have mentioned these but they did show close up of them right before they were used, nice to know they have a little variety in their weaponry. Although taking them down quickly and quietly sure had a lot of noises and explosions. Although i would like to know where Pilot learned the Vulcan mind meld like Take down she used on this one guy from behind before she got into the base.

 

Alright that was our second group of episodes. The overall story is getting better and certain character are getting some very nice development. Last group of episodes should be up in a couple of weeks. See you then.