The Ancient Warrior

Typically I introduce a moment with a quotation, but this scene was striking in that there were no words uttered. After the Wolf Mask was destroyed, breaking the curse of Zen-Aku, the unconscious Merrick fell to the grass. As soon as the battle was over, Princess Shayla raced through the park, a bittersweet song playing in the background as she searched for him. She gasped with relief when she finally found him, and cradled his head in her lap. Shayla sobbed tears of joy as she held him, caressing his face as if trying to remember every detail of him. Then, when the Rangers were heard nearby, she laid him back in the grass and disappeared. This surprising scene set the stage for the interesting dynamic between the princess and the mysterious sixth ancient warrior.

Power Play

Like much of Shayla and Merrick's relationship, we saw this only through flashback. Her millennia of sleep had clouded Shayla's memory, yet the full moon and the appearance of Zen-Aku brought her first lifetime back to her. And she remembered Merrick, her brave and noble protector, whose affection for her ran strong... perhaps too strong. As a token of his affection, he once gave her a necklace, through which she remained bound to the Power Rangers. Though she had forgotten him, she always remembered the necklace was a gift from someone dear to her, and kept it always.

Merrick: "You and I can't be together."
Power Play

"Power Play" was a critical episode in the outplaying of Shayla and Merrick's relationship. Shayla disappeared before Merrick regained consciousness before, and from a distance she watched him aid the Rangers and leave to find his own way in Turtle Cove. She kept her distance until the Wolf itself asked her to visit him. Her heart in her throat, Shayla descended to Earth to face the love of her youth. At first he forgot himself, staring openly as she approached him. Then, he turned his back as she reached to embrace him. Her pained expression made him look away as he made it clear that they could never have the relationship they both longed for. And so she left him, granting him the distance he felt he needed to keep between them.

Shayla: "This isn't about us. I'm here to sing for the Deer."
Sing Song

In this episode we were treated to a glimpse of life in ancient Animaria. The reappearance of the elusive (and temperamental) Deer Zord brought both Merrick and Shayla to remember their old custom of singing to the Deer every morning. This is particularly memorable given Merrick's resistance to even see the princess, or the Rangers. Despite the thick tension between the pair, Shayla and Merrick resumed their practice, and performed for the Deer. And in doing so, they both took one step back in time, and rekindled something special in their complex relationship.

Merrick: "It's my sworn duty to protect you, Princess. I'm going with you."
Shayla: "You're human, Merrick, and the Earth is your home. Please stay... live in this world."
Merrick: "...I'll do as you wish."
The End of the Power Rangers

After overcoming nearly impossible odds, the Wild Force Rangers managed to destroy the Master Org once and for all. However, as day broke over the freed city of Turtle Cove, the princess made a startling revelation: now that the Wild Zords were no longer needed, she would return to her eternal sleep on the Animarium, leaving the Rangers to live their lives as normal human beings. When Merrick protested, affirming his dedication to his princess, she begged him to remain on Earth. I admit, I don't quite understand why she refused Merrick's company. Apparently her mission goes beyond just one lifetime of service, whereas she wanted Merrick to be free from his duties. Of course, the question remains: what does a man from an ancient civilization do with himself in the 21st century? Unfortunately, we won't be seeing a Wild Force reunion, so I guess we'll never know. With downcast eyes and a soft voice, Merrick obeyed his princess' final command, releasing her hands and stepping back to join the other retired Rangers. And the princess returned the Animarium to the boundless sky, where she would await the return of evil forces.

Dustin: "All right, you guys finally get to meet!"
Looming Thunder

This moment was short, but quite pronounced. As often happens among Ranger couples, the first meeting between Tori and Blake marked the beginning of a romantic interest. Dustin eagerly introduced Blake and Hunter, his new motocross buddies, to his longtime friends Tori and Shane. Blake let his gaze linger on Tori in open admiration, earning an embarrassed (but pleased) grin from the Blue Wind Ranger. And after Shane pulled Dustin aside to reprimand him for his irresponsibility, we saw Tori linger with Blake and Hunter. I don't know about you, but I wonder what else Blake said to grab Tori's attention so thoroughly.

Blake: "Run! I'll distract him!"
Tori: "No! STOP!"
Thunder Strangers, Part II

I have to give credit to the Thunder Rangers, for they won the trust of the Wind Rangers quite quickly. After the first devestating faceoff between the Wind and Thunder Rangers, Cam was forced to keep the Wind Morphers for repairs, sending Tori, Dustin, and Shane back into the world without their powers. Zurgane sent the creature Amphibidor to drain Blue Bay Harbor dry of water, and naturally the aquatic beast ran into Tori. However, without her powers or any backup, Tori didn't last long against the alien foe. But then, Blake raced onto the scene like a knight in shining armor. Using his expert cycle skills and the element of surprise, Blake managed to ward off Amphibidor's attacks, giving Tori a chance to retreat. Of course the Blue Ranger wouldn't run away with a friend in danger, so she remained on the scene. The monster let loose a spray of polytrons to drain Tori of all the moisture in her body, but Blake dove in front of her, taking the blow and saving her life at the risk of his own.

Blake: "I'm sorry, Tori, but we had to get into the Ninja Ops. I didn't mean to use you."
Thunder Strangers, Part II

Unfortunately, things aren't always as they seem. Anyone could see the impression Blake left on Tori. Her lingering gazes and shy smiles spoke volumes. However, her trust in the charming young man was misguided, for Blake and Hunter revealed themselves to be the Wind team's adversaries, and infiltrated Ninja Ops while the Wind Rangers battled Amphibidor. They held Cam hostage, forcing the Wind team to stand back as they escaped with Sensei as their hostage. The pain of betrayal was written all over Tori's face, weighing on Blake's conscience as he realized exactly what he had done to the trusting young woman. But his guilt didn't stop him from completing his mission, and Tori's anguish rapidly turned into outrage as the Wind Rangers set off to save their mentor.

Tori: "Where've you been anyway? You don't call, no letter..."
Blake: "You missed me, didn't you?"
Tori: "No."
Blake; "Yeah you did, I can tell."
Tori: "I don't like you any more. And I'm not talking to you ever again."
Return of Thunder, Part I

The Wind Rangers had quite an adventure with the Thunder Rangers, and the revelation of Blake and Hunter's motivations led to an uneasy alliance between the two teams. Blake and Hunter learned that they had been deceived by Lothor into attacking the Wind Academy, and vowed to get revenge on the space ninja, thus ending their rivalry with the Wind team. The two warriors left Blue Bay Harbor, giving Tori some time to work out her mixed feelings for Blake. We didn't see a whole lot of resolution onscreen, but clearly by the time the Thunder Rangers returned, Tori had gotten over her anger. In fact, she was even able to confess that she missed him. When Blake did return, seeking her out to enlist the Wind Rangers' aid, she was obviously pleased to see him. Tori greeted him with a coy grin and feigned disinterest, which Blake immediately recognized as a teasing welcome. This pretty much established that there were no hard feelings, despite the lies that stood between them earlier.

Blake: "I'm not so good with dates myself."
Pork Chopped

We saw Blake shamelessly flirt with Tori when they first met. We saw him leap in the way of a deadly missile to save her life. We even saw him betray her. But we never saw our smooth-talker open up. Early in the episode, he invited Tori to join him and Hunter at the Martial Arts Film Festival, but Lothor's monster caused a raucous. Once peace was restored, Blake purchased two more tickets and asked Tori out on what would be their first date (three's a crowd, so the first trip doesn't count). Unfortunately, Tori's punishment for using her Ninja tricks for personal gain was to clean Ninja Ops, and she had to decline. Still, it was great seeing them interact one on one. And I'm glad he acknowledged the movie as a "date" opportunity. So this landmark moment is the first time Blake asked the pretty Blue Wind Ranger on a date... to bad they never went through with it!

Blake: "Nothing can beat the power of love! This is for you, Tori!"
I Love Lothor

Now this was an interesting episode. In the beginning, Blake noticed the close friendship between Cam and Tori, and apparently felt a little threatened by the Samurai Ranger. However, he managed to shrug off the twinge of jealousy fairly easily... that is, until Lothor's nieces unleashed a love potion that ensnared both Blake and Cam. The two spellbound Rangers fell helplessly in love with Tori, and their mutually-exclusive obsession created a rivalry intense enough to bring the two men to a duel. Obviously Tori refused to put up with the medieval confrontation, and managed to separate them before they hurt each other. When Lothor's monster struck, Tori was the one hit by the first blast, drawing the boys' attention to the new threat. However, we saw a critical difference between Cam and Blake's feelings. Blake struggled against the monster beyond his limits, desperate to protect Tori while insisting that his feelings were genuine. His affection gave him the strength to put the monster in its place, and Cam was forced to concede to Blake. Once the monster was destroyed, the boys were restored to their senses. Too bad Blake didn't keep some of that boldness though, because when Tori finally asked him what he intended to "confess," the Navy Ranger came up short. Looks like Blake wasn't ready to reveal his true feelings just yet. Though I do like how the awkward silence was broken by Hunter and Shane bringing a tray of chicken. Symbolic, don't you think?

Blake: "Because no matter what dimension we're in I'd still li... like you."
The Wild Wipeout

Finally!! It had been ten episodes since Blake chickened out in "I Love Lothor," and since then we suffered an intolerable dry spell in Blake/Tori development. But I was pleasantly surprised that, at the end of "The Wild Wipeout," the writers threw 'shippers a bone. Tori and Blake were lounging at the beach, apparently finishing up a picnic. Tori recounted her adventure in a parallel dimension in which the Rangers were evil and Lothor was the meek mayor of Blue Bay Harbor. Blake refused to believe one element in Tori's tale: that he turned on her. And then he finally admitted that he liked her. I wonder what took him so long? He was such a flirt at the beginning of the season, and then he went shy on us! At least the truth was finally out in the open.

Tori: "I just wanted to apologize for following you like that. If I'd known you were training-"
Blake: "Look, you don't have to apologize. Besides, you're kinda cute when you're jealous."
Tori: "Jealous? No way was I jealous!"
Two-Edged Blake

Fans of Tori and Blake must've been cheering. Two episodes with notable relationship development, in a row? In this episode, Blake was really playing with Tori's mind as he spent his afternoons with a pretty redhead. Whenever Tori asked him a question or invited him out, his evasive responses aroused her suspicion. Tori interrogated Hunter for answers, but as the Crimson Ranger was just as in the dark as she, Tori took the only logical course of action: she stalked Blake to a secret rendezvous. Of course, when she learned that Blake's pretty new friend, Leanne Amano, was a fellow Thunder Ninja and Blake's tutor with the Thunderblade, Tori felt appropriately embarrassed. But as both Leanne and Blake recognized, it was Tori's concern for Blake that made her follow him. Blake was, not surprisingly, thrilled to see this additional sign of Tori's affection, and true to form, at the end of the episode they teased each other. Another subtle note I particularly liked was when Blake finally introduced Leanne to Tori, and Leanne commented "Blake's told me a lot about you." I can just imagine the Navy Ranger going on and on about Tori's admirable qualities... too bad he had such difficulty telling her how much she means to him.