The episode reviews themselves, though containing healthy doses of snark, are very fair, highlighting each episode's (or season's) strengths and weaknesses. Although comparisons can be made to other Power Rangers review series, including Linkara's History of Power Rangers, this particular web series reviews individual episodes instead of entire seasons, though Database and/or his co-hosts do provide thoughts about the season the episode is part of, and a metaplot so complex it sometimes overshadows the reviews.
The pilot episode launched on October 13, 2012, with a review of the Power Rangers Samurai season opening episode "The Team Unites". Since then, the series has reviewed many episodes from Samurai, Super Samurai, and all episodes of Power Rangers Megaforce. During Megaforce hiatuses, the series has reviewed episodes from older seasons of Power Rangers, with Database Ranger and/or his co-hosts sharing his thoughts and analyses along the way. The series updates infrequently at this time, Jacob has said that the plotline will continue to episode 100.
In addition to the episode reviews, there were two spin-off series titled Ask DB and Ask Dr. K in which either Database Ranger or Dr. K answer fan questions related to Power Rangers from all seasons. On occasion, Jacob, sometimes accompanied by co-star and spouse MJ Gallego, posts video updates titled "Jake Says 'Hi!'". A third spin off, the shortlived Dino Charge Ranger Logs, had Database doing quick reviews of episodes of Power Rangers Dino Charge as they aired, but has since been supplanted to Database Ranger's Live Reactions in which Jacob and MJ watch the episodes live and post their reactions to Youtube.
You can watch episodes on Database Ranger's YouTube channel
, and Jacob has a Twitter here.
Jacob has a Patreon here.
This work contains examples of:
- Alternate Universe: Where Dr. K comes from, specifically the Power Rangers RPM-verse.
- Attack Hello: An irate Mayo lets Database know exactly what she thinks of him standing her up for their date. With her fist.
- Berserk Button: Just as in Power Rangers RPM, never, ever say the word "spandex" around Dr. K, especially regarding the suits' material. Just don't.
- If the review of Super Megaforce from, well, Super Megaforce means anything, Guy gets pissed whenever the alien invasion of Power Rangers in Space is ignored (E.G, "This is the greatest threat our planet has ever known.").
- And don't get DB started on the fact that Mack is a ROBOT.
- Big Bad: The Landlord/ Dark Specter
- Big "WHAT?!": Doctor K in the review of "Earth Fights Back," when the Super Megaforce Rangers Legendary Morph into the RPM Rangers.
- Buffy Speak: Mitch and Mary Morpotzner tend to speak this way at times. While watching a choreographed fight scene during the review episode of "The Wild Wipeout" from Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Mitch describes the Rangers doing "punchy flippy kicky things."
- The Cameo: During the story segment for the review of "Clash of the Red Rangers", a montage including several cosplayers, other Power Rangers and tokusatsu fandom figures such as Andre Meadows and Fujiyama Ichiban and Power Rangers actors and production staff members such as John Tellgen and Ari Boyland, with the later having been confused by Dr. K for Flynn. Mattwo is also off-screen during the review segment, more clearly being heard in the out-of-character Q&A segment (uploaded as a separate "Jake Says Hi" video) after the review segment was recorded.
- Another in-character Power Morphicon setting appeared in episode 94, with Mattwo this time appearing on-camera near the start of the episode.
- Catchphrase: Several.
- "Greetings, Ranger fans, and welcome to Power Reviews!" is how Database Ranger typically opens each episode, though variations do happen, especially as of late.
- Before going into the episode review, Database opens with, "And that's the end of the episode! What did I think of it?" although variations occur when either Dr. K reviews an episode, or Database has a co-host.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Database closes almost every episode with "Farewell, Ranger fans, and may the Power protect you!" borrowing the line from the source material.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Guy, who is introduced as Database Ranger's neighbor in a throwaway gag, but later begins playing a more important role in the story by the Summer 2013 season.
- The Chessmaster: Venjix took over Database some time after the Silver Lining two parter, and since then has been doing episodes with different members of the team to earn their trust and get them alone for Alphabet Soup to take them.
- Chewing the Scenery: Jacob chews the scenery while normal, but as Venjix? He pretty much devours it.
- The Morpotzners.
- Cliffhanger: A few.
- The Spring finale has Database Ranger getting his apartment back, as Guy finally moves out; getting a date with Mayo as she asks him out; and getting a publisher for his book. Dr. K also comes back.
- The review episode for "Silence Is Golden" from Power Rangers in Space ends with one wham of a cliffhanger. Surrounded by Guy and several men in black, Database Ranger suddenly gains martial arts skills well enough to take them all down.
- The review episode for "Way Back When" from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive ends with Mayo being kidnapped by men in black suits.
- The review episode for "Man and Machine" ends with Database's eyes glowing and the SQUEE shorting out.
- Every episode since then has ended on a cliffhanger, minor or major.
- The review episode for "The Human Factor" ends with The Reveal that Guy is from Hexagon. Also a Mythology Gag.
- The review episode for "Staying on Track" ends with a crack in the world being revealed.
- The review episode for "End Game" ends with The Reveal that Database is the Phantom Ranger, and him going off to stop the cracks in the world. Also a parallel to the episode itself, which also ended on a cliffhanger.
- The review episode for "The Grass is Always Greener..." ends with Jacob being taken over by Venjx.
- Perhaps the biggest cliffhanger (so far) came at the end of episode 94 where The Landlord is revealed to be Dark Specter.
- Deadpan Snarker: Both Dr. K and Guy. Guy possibly more so, since deadpan seems to be his speaking tone. Database also has his moments when commenting on the episode being reviewed, especially in the second half of Megaforce.
- Deus ex Machina: Towards the end of the review episode for "Undercover Rangers" from Power Rangers Time Force, Database and Mayo, trapped by Alphabet Soup agents, get saved at the last minute, apparently by the agency's own Bleach Protocol, which ends up shutting down the facility, but not killing its agents.
- The Dividual: Mitch and Mary Morpotzner, including synchronous action, and synchronized speech when they're not Finishing Each Other's Sentences.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Venjix may be an AI bent on world domination, but according to "In the Driver's Seat," at least he does his research.
- Epic Fail: As Database points out in "A Lion's Alliance," Power Rangers Wild Force was the last season Jonathan Tzachor was executive producer of before he left and came back for Samurai, yet he still gets the name of the Wild Force Rangers headquarters wrong.
- Every Episode Ending: Earlier episodes tended to end with either "Farewell, Ranger fans, and let the power protect you!" or "What?" This comes to an end in the review for "Man and Machine", where since then the audience has been saying the latter.
- Exact Words: During the review episode for "Legacy of Power" from Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, Database Ranger promises never to question Dr. K if she helps him find Mayo and her kidnappers. After he does so, she reminds him of that promise using his exact words before she tells him about her theory behind her existence.
- Flat "What": During the Spring 2013 finale, combined with Wham Shot—Database Ranger: I HAVE A PUBLISHER!
Dr. K: What?- Also Dr. K's answer in episode 5 Ask Dr. K when being asked about life with Ziggy.
- And Database Ranger himself in any episode that doesn't end with the borrowed catchphrase.
- Foreshadowing: Database saying "greetings Ranger fans and welcome to phase 1" and so on in recent episodes foreshadows The Reveal at the end of "The Grass Is Always Greener..." that That's Not Database Ranger'Mayo: THAT'S NOT DB!
- Episodes 1-20 are rife with it.
- Almost all of Episode 44, a trippy arthouse review of the Power Ranger's Samurai Episode "Trickster Treat."
- Fun with Acronyms: Most of the equipment, much to the chagrin of Doctor K.
- Selective Quantum Utility Electronic Eyeline: SQUEE
- Wireless Interdimensional Interface: WII
- Wireless Interdimensional Interface Portal Alignment Device: WII-PAD
- Wireless Interdimensional Interface Mobile Offsite Transmision Equipment: WII-MOTE
- Generic Name: Guy.
- Genki Girl: Mayo seems to be this way, in comparison with the relatively more serious Database and Doctor K and deadpan Guy.
- Hidden Agenda Villain: The Landlord has held his cards close to his chest since he first appeared, episode 94's cliffhanger revealing That he was actually Dark Specter.
- Identical Stranger: Seems to be the case with Mayo for Dr. K before it's revealed that they are actually the same person just from different universes.
- In-Universe Camera: The SQUEE, and it's former form of an ordinary digital camera borrowed from Guy. Three additional SQUEE have been produced since the first, with Mayo calling the second one "R2-SQUEE2", the third "SQUEE-3-PO," and being undecided on the name of the fourth, still trying to decide between "Selective Quantum Utility Electronic Eyeline Mark 4: Ultimate" and "Selective Quantum Utility Electronic Eyeline Mark 4: Millennium Edition."
- Insistent Terminology: While Database Ranger calls each Ranger character by name, Dr. K refers to them by their titles. For example, she refers Troy from Power Rangers Megaforce as Megaforce Red, and so on.
- Also she will only refer to the SQUEE and the WII by their full names, and corrects others when they use the abbreviations.
- Interrupted by the End: In episode 1 of Ask Dr. K, she gets cut off as her sixty seconds have run out while in the middle of a lengthy rant—one which involved a Running Gag carried over from Power Rangers RPM.
- Instant Expert: Database suddenly gains martial arts skills when confronted by Guy and men in black suits, taking them all down.
- Jump Scare: During the episode review for "Island of Illusion" from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, when seeing the Mutitis monster, Database remarks, "Attack on Titan's got nothing on this." Cue the iconic Colossal Titan emerging from behind Wall Maria.
- Knight of Cerebus: The Landlord. He traps Database in a Lotus-Eater Machine, turns him into a washed out hermit, and attempts to end his show, all while calmly expressing his disdain for Power Rangers. Makes a lot more sense when you realize he's Dark Specter..
- Large Ham: Database occasionally ventures into this territory.
- Limited Wardrobe: In every episode thus far, Database Ranger wears a t-shirt with the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers underneath a Power Rangers in Space jacket. Dr. K, of course, wears her uniform and lab coat ensemble, Guy volleys between a suit, and a blue t-shirt and brown leather jacket, and Mayo wears the same jeans and hoodie swapping only the graphic tees she wears under the hoodie. Only the Morpotzners are fully immune to this trope.
- Little "No": Database when The Landlord mentions what happened to the last guy who took action against himThe Landlord: I swallowed him whole.
- The Men in Black: Both Database and Dr. K suspect Guy of being one when he moves in with them, one is present in the Diner when Database, Mayo and Guy go out to a restaurant, and after Database gets called for a meeting with a book publisher, he encounters more men in black, with Guy being one of them.
- Mistaken for Romance: Mayo initially believes this is going on between Dr. K and Database when they are introduced to each other before being very quickly corrected.
- The Multiverse: In addition to the main Power Rangers universe and the RPM universe universe, there's also the real world, in which most of the show takes place, as well as the other side of the fourth wall as seen when Database and Dr. K appear at Power Morphicon 2014 in the live review of Clash of the Red Rangers
- Mythology Gag:
- During the episode review for "Another Song and Dance" from Power Rangers Zeo, Database and Mayo sing the episode's summary, just like Tommy and Tanya could only sing because of a spell cast on them by Queen Machina.
- While watching the episode "The Wild Wipeout" from Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Database constantly corrects the Morpotzners after they mistake Sensei Kanoi Watanabe for being any small, furry, rat-like animal other than a guinea pig—just like Cam had to correct Shane, Tori, and Dustin in the show.
- During the episode review for "Silence Is Golden" from Power Rangers in Space, Database, on the run from Guy and some men in black suits, keeps quiet to avoid being found, mirroring the In Space episode's premise of the Rangers having to keep quiet or else they would be found by the Psycho Rangers via voice recognition.
- The end of the review for "The Human Factor" reveals that Guy is from Hexagon, a reference to the unused concept for Power Rangers Ninja Storm.
- The review of "End Game" has two. First, Database is revealed to be the Phantom Ranger. Second, the episode ends on a Cliffhanger just like the end of the episode proper.
- During the review of Silver Lining Part 2, Database comments that he was expecting Orion to have difficulties for his first Legendary Sixth Ranger morph. This could be a reference to the same fight in Gokaiger, where Gai (Orion's counterpart) was trolled by the Gokaigers by making him turn into the Sentai version of Zeo Gold.
- Odd Couple: Database and Guy, after Guy has to temporarily move in with Database after his apartment caught on fire. This becomes especially noticeable during Power Rangers SPD's "Idol," where Guy co-hosts, but they steadily become Fire-Forged Friends after the Season 1 finale.
- Oh, Crap!: Played for Laughs at the start of the Power Rangers Samurai Halloween Episode. Database is hard pressed to find anything good about it.
- Played Straight in Episode 94 when DB realizes that the Landlord isn't his memories as he claimed, and figures out just who he's dealing with.
- Only Sane Man: Mayo, in comparison to the eccentric Database, mysterious Guy, and the Morpotzners. Database is slightly below Mayo, again in comparison to the other characters.
-
Portmanteau Couple Name: The last name "Morpotzner" is a fusion of Morehouse and Opotzner, the last names for the actors playing them. - Previously on…: "Previously on Power Reviews..." Done as a Shout-Out to when Power Rangers used this as a recurring trope.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Aside from the obvious Running Gag:Dr. K: Do. I. Exist?
- Recursive Canon/Recursive Reality: The existentialism of a Power Rangers character who reviews episodes of Power Rangers is somewhat of a recurring theme.
- Played straight with Database attending the real life Power Morphicon 2014 in episode 67, then later played with in episode 94 when The Landlord creates a fake reality based on Power Morphicon 2016.
- Played with in episode 94 where The Landlord reviewed an episode of Dino Thunder, "Lost & Found in Translation" where the rangers riff on a dubbed episode of Abaranger, much to Database's chagrin. Database however later points out the episode drew inspiration from Mystery Science Theater 3000 while also mentioning how it inspired a style of internet video, the style his own review show uses.
- The Reveal:
- At the end of the review for "Legacy of Power" from Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, Dr. K tells Database that those men in black suits come from Alphabet Soup, the same agency which kidnapped and raised her.
- After Database rescues Mayo from Alphabet Soup, Dr. K reveals the theory behind her existence: she belongs in an alternate universe, specifically the one in Power Rangers RPM, and has no idea how she got from that world to Database Ranger's world. Mayo is a version of her in his world.
- At the end of the season, Database is revealed to be the Phantom Ranger.
- Guy was sent by Hexagon to infiltrate Alphabet Soup. He is also not from the canon version of the Power Rangers universe, apparently he comes from a universe where Power Rangers Lost Galaxy never happened.
- The Landlord was actually Dark Specter.
- Running Gag: Aside from the obvious, Database Ranger really loves yelling out DARKONDA! during the Retro Power Run-Through of Power Rangers in Space.
- Shadow Archetype: The man known only as The Landlord, to Database.
- Ship Tease: Database Ranger and Mayo. In fact, during the spring finale, she asks him out on a date.
- Towards the end of the review episode for "Man and Machine" from Power Rangers Megaforce, they kiss!
- Shout-Out:
- MJ's performance as Dr. K is based on that of Olivia Tennet, the New Zealand actress who played that role on Power Rangers RPM.
- As Dr. K is basically carried over from Power Rangers RPM, shout-outs to that season are naturally expected: Dr. K's desk has a laptop with the red Venjix eye and an action figure of Ranger Operator Series Green. She also plays the violin on occasion and makes references to her childhood growing up in Alphabet Soup throughout the series and in Ask Dr. K.
- Database Ranger recommends History of Power Rangers in the first episode.
- Shown Their Work: Throughout the series, it becomes apparent just how knowledgeable Jacob is regarding Power Rangers. In fact, he was asked to run the Trivia Contest at Power Morphicon 2 in 2010, and Power Morphicon 3 in 2012, and provide the questions for the Shout Factory Trivia Contest at Power Morphicon 4 in 2014 specifically to prevent him from entering after he swept the competition at the first Power Morphicon in 2007.
- Spin-Off: Ask DB and Ask Dr. K, in which either Database Ranger or Dr. K answer fan questions related to Power Rangers while in character in sixty seconds or less. Guaranteed. In K's case, she promises that she'll answer questions in sixty seconds.Dr. K: Precisely!
- Stepford Smiler: The Morpotzners.
- Timey-Wimey Ball: "The Hiatus" works on wonky time logic that even causes an Interface Screw effect on the episode previews. This allows The Landlord to have knowledge of what to Database is the future.
- Wham Line: From "End Game:"Database It's Morphin' Time!
- From "Lost And Found In Translation:
The Landlord: You want to know what happened the last time someone took action against me? I swallowed him whole.The Landlord/ Dark Specter: You know, for a Phantom, you look like you've just seen a ghost. Or maybe a...Database: Dark Specter
