Well, we have reached the end of the road. Season 1 of Geek Steep has come to a close, and I could not think of a better geek for us to have our season ender steep to.
Mighty Morphing Power Rangers is not a geek I have ever been particularly fond of. Even when it first aired, I found it to be cheesy to the point of undigestible. It was clearly geared towards children younger than myself (I mean, I was 11, but a very serious 11) and held no interest for me. I had not revisited it since the late 90's, and when it came up in our list of things to watch, I secretly dreaded the preparation required on my part to make our podcast episode happen.
Having watched it again, as an adult, I can now say this with certainty: I do not care for these Power Rangers and I doubt I ever will. I do however, have a great affinity for anyone who considers themselves to be fans of this geek.
I get it, I do. The Rangers are everyday teenagers upon whom great power and responsibility is suddenly thrust, they get to ride cool robots and fight weird and dangerous monsters. What's not to love? A simple storyline, straightforward and unpretentious execution, cool gimmicks and an epic setting. Oh, and did I mention that Godzilla style man-in-a-rubber-costume style of fighting? By jove there is something here for everyone!
More than that, I see the power of nostalgia that these rangers wield. I know that there are more updated versions out there, but the 90's nostalgia was very potent for me, and brought me back to a simpler time. A time where Megazords in the shape of dinosaurs could burst forth out of the earth and help masked teenagers defeat giant lizards...and the governments of the world were not involved in anyway. What I am saying is that we held our fantasy shows and movies to standards much lower than anything produced now. In 2021, we expect all fantasy and sci-fi based tv, movies and comics to have a ridiculously high detailed realism, tie-in to any number of other fandoms (I'm looking right at you MCU) and have a longevity that can last a generation. I love the time we are living in. I love that these genres are so mainstream that they now have an injection of millions of dollars to bring Hogwarts and Middle Earth to life. It is everything I ever dreamed of.
But...sometimes I miss a simpler time. When we did not have everything handed to us on a plate of perfectly CGI rendered perfection. Our own emotions and imaginations could fill in the gaps of realism lacking in older fandoms. If you could see beauty in these no budget, no post production time, fly by night executed fandoms, then you are my kind of people. You love the content, not just the pretty CGI painted upon it. You don't judge a book by it's cover. You judge a tea not by the package it comes in, but by the quality of its infusion.
I cannot wait to start Season 2 with you all and discover more through it and with you. I may not like or love your fandom, but I love your style.
Geek Steep on my friends.
Geek Steeped:
Mighty Morphing Power Rangers S1 Episodes 1-5
Teas drunk while recording:
Kelly: Plum Delux Raspberry Revitalizer Lemon Mate
Marika: Twinnings Earl Grey
Teas drunk while geeking: :
Kelly: David's Tea Green Seduction
Marika: Bird and Blend Bonfire Toffee
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