Power Rangers Beast Morphers: Source Code Review

PRBM "Source Code"

"You've reached the final chapter in your story." - Venjix/Evox

Beast Morphers' penultimate episode, "Source Code", recontextualizes the threat of Evox, tying the storyline inextricably to RPM, one of the best seasons of Power Rangers.

As Evox interacts with a Cell Shift Morpher, it's revealed that Evox is a snake DNA-enhanced offshoot of Venjix, the evil computer virus from RPM! This makes sense, as many fans compared Evox to Venjix when he was first introduced. This is an unprecedented twist, revealing the main villain of a season as truly the main villain of a previous season in a new guise. Given that the same voice actor for Venjix, Andrew Laing, has been performing Evox all along, the pieces all fit into place. Taking a step back, all these developments mean that Beast Morphers has shown an uncommon willingness to incorporate elements from past Ranger seasons set in other dimensions, including Dino Charge.

Nate unwittingly created Evox when he was a child prodigy, leading Evox to taunt him with booming lines like, "How does it feel to be responsible for the destruction of human civilization?!" This element of backstory is reminiscent of Doctor K, who created Venjix, so naturally she arrives to give Nate a pep talk. It's good to see Olivia Tennet again, in an expanded role after her appearance earlier this season, making for a team-up of two Ranger teams' tech geniuses!

The Rangers manage to destroy Robot Blaze for good, who appears powered up the entire time so as not to leave evidence for last episode's Hairgate. After this accomplishment, Steel comes dangerously close to dabbing. Zoey's "It's good to be counted on" feels like a defining line for her. And Doctor K gets a poignant moment where she tells our heroes they have a beautiful world - we know that K's is despoiled. But the ending is hardly happy. Blaze was a diversion, and Scrozzle has delivered the world's morph-X towers to Venjix.

With its outsize developments and Earth-shattering twists, "Source Code" is an excellent lead in to a finale. At its best, Beast Morphers' attention to detail is a big part of its appeal; as in RPM, Venjix' monsters don't speak. Next week, we say goodbye to this incarnation of the show. 8/10.