Power Rangers/Doctor K

Doctor K
Season 17, Episode 11
Airdate	May 9, 2009
Written by	Matt Negrete
Directed by	Charlie Haskell
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Power Rangers — Season Seventeen

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Doctor K is the eleventh episode of the seventeenth season of Power Rangers, and the six-hundred seventy ninth episode overall.

Starring: Eka Darville (Scott Truman), Ari Boyland (Flynn McAllistair), Rose McIver (Summer Landsdown), Milo Cawthorne (Ziggy Grover), Dan Ewing (Dillon), Olivia Tennet (Dr. K), James Gaylyn (Colonel Mason Truman), Adelaide Kane (Tenaya 7)

Co-Starring: Mike Ginn (Gem), Li Ming Hu (Gemma), Damien Avery (Corporal Hicks), Molly Standbridge (Young Doctor K), Jim McLarty (Goverment Worker), Cassandra Woodhouse (Government Worker), Andrew Laing (Venjix (voice)), Charlie McDermott (General Crunch (voice)), Mark Mitchinson (General Shifter (voice))

Plot Overview

The episode opens with Dr. K playing on her violin while trying to configure the new Zenith Megazord. After some struggle, the strings break, and Summer tells Dr. K that she and the other Ranger Series Operators are waiting in the Garage for their briefing. Dr. K sheds a tear.

Meanwhile, Venjix reveals his latest attack bot, the Reflex Bot, Generation 12. Generals Crunch and Shifter provide some comedy as they find their reflections revolting--even though they don't know that they are looking at themselves. Venjix gives a second attack bot to Tenaya 7, the one he calls his wisest and most trusted advisor, as a backup.

Back in Corinth, Dr. K briefs the Rangers and Colonel Truman, showing that Venjix technology has surpassed their own Ranger technology. When asked about the new Megazord configuration by Scott, Dr. K tells them that she would need an additional flux overthruster similar to the one he had just retrieved earlier outside the dome. When pressed further by the Rangers, she tells them that they cannot find another part, nor can they build another one. Summer asks if the genius says they should just give up, but Dr. K replies that she does not have the answers. The Rangers begin arguing with Dr. K, who sits silently at her desk, and Ziggy interrupts them. He asks if they are the good guys, and Dr. K asks him, out of genuine curiosity, how it feels like "being stupid your whole life." This is where the first flashback begins.

A young K rides on a tricycle and sees another girl drawing a house on the sidewalk with chalk. She offers her a piece of chalk, which then is used to write various formulae. Two adults in black suits and white shirts come up to her, and she offers them a piece of her chalk. Next, she is seen sitting at a table, celebrating her first year at the think tank code named "Alphabet Soup." She asks if she can go outside--a request denied by her handlers because "the sun makes [her] unwell." She is then asked to develop various technologies for Alphabet Soup over the years. A few years later, K sits at that same desk, celebrating another birthday--though now she is much older. Her handlers give her a notebook computer and charge her with creating a computer program. She again asks to go outside, but her handlers tell her that she is still allergic to sunlight. They ask her about her birthday wish, and she replies, "I wish I could remember my name."

Back in the present, the alarm goes off, and Venjix's newest attack bot has infiltrated Corinth. The Rangers morph to action. They summon their two Megazords and attempt to fight off the new attack bot which replicates any solid object it reflects. The attack bot uses the Megazords' weapons against them, and the Zords are quickly defeated. Before the Rangers are completely defeated by the attack bot, however, it unexpectedly shuts down completely.

The Rangers bring the attack bot back to Dr. K's lab for study, although Colonel Truman thinks it would be better if the attack bot were destroyed. Dr. K tells the Colonel that they should take advantage of the opportunity for analyzing relatively undamaged Venjix hardware. Corporal Hicks, who clumsily handles Dr. K's equipment, asks her how she came up with the Ranger technology. She replies, "I had help." Another flashback begins.

This time, Dr. K is playing a piano and working on the Ranger Bio-Suits. The handlers introduce her to the two test pilots for the suits, also raised in Alphabet Soup: Gem and Gemma, twin hyperactive adult children. Dr. K finds them irritating at first, but the twins show her how much they appreciate her by giving her a pencil as a gift for their birthday. She tells them that she does not like them, but they reply that this does not mean that they cannot like her.

While working on the suits, a monarch butterfly enters Dr. K's room. It goes outside of the room with Dr. K following it. She then opens another door, one which leads to outside the compound. The sun briefly blinds her, but then she notices that she does not react at all to the sunlight. It is then that she realizes that her handlers had been lying to her and her friends all this time.

The flashback is interrupted by another alarm as Venjix has released attack drones which have infiltrated the city. The Rangers fight off the drones as best they can in their still damaged Zord Attack Vehicles. Back at Dr. K's lab, Tenaya 7 appears and begins attacking the young genius. She also begins typing at Dr. K's keyboard, causing the Rangers to lose control of their Zords. Dr. K regains control of the Zords and traps Tenaya 7 in a tube. She shouts that she will get out of there, leading to the next flashback.

Dr. K tells Gem and Gemma that she plans to escape Alphabet Soup, taking them with her. When asked about their apparent allergy to sunlight, Dr. K tells them that they had been lied to. She then explains that they will not need access to Alphabet Soup's security computers as she plans to blind the servers for a few minutes with a wireless upload of the Venjix virus--a self-aware, self-generating computer virus she had been working on for the Soup. She uploads the virus as guards take Gem and Gemma away. Realizing that she could be next, she panics and attempts to install the firewall to keep Venjix from spreading beyond the compound. However, the guards are successful in preventing this from happening as they capture Dr. K, and Venjix begins spreading throughout the world.

Back in the present, Dr. K continues monitoring the battle. However, Tenaya 7's detached hand allows her to escape her prison. She then tells Venjix to release the second Reflex Bot, which then grows to the size of a building. The core three Rangers' Zords form High Octane Megazord. Seeing this, the attack bot reveals his upgrades and nearly demolishes the Zords entirely. While this is going on, Dr. K and Tenaya have their own battle.

As Dr. K types frantically on her keyboard, Tenaya 7 disappears and begins whistling "The Farmer in the Dell." She then tells Dr. K that despite her intelligence, she made some serious mistakes. This angers Dr. K, and she begins firing with her sound cannon. Another flashback begins.

This time, Dr. K is in her room at Alphabet Soup, sending her distress message from the first Episode ("The Road to Corinth"). She attempts to flee Alphabet Soup when her handlers stop her. They ask her for the computer as they do not want anyone to know about Venjix's true origins. She explains that the Ranger technology would be needed for the fight against Venjix. They then attempt to assassinate Dr. K as Gem and Gemma take them out offscreen. She quickly expresses her gratitude for her friendship with Gem and Gemma, which they recirprocate. An alarm goes off, and the twins make for the classified Gold and Silver Series. Dr. K warns them not to do so as they do not have any time left. Another explosion rocks the facility, and Gem and Gemma disappear behind a cloud of dust. She then fears that they died in the attempt to get the morphers.

Back at the lab, Dr. K appears emotionally exhausted. Tenaya 7 reappears from behind the malfunctioned Reflex Bot and tells her that she has been wanting one of her sound cannons. She opens the mirror, which Dr. K causes to point to the flux overthruster. The attack bot replicates the part, which Dr. K has been wanting. She grabs the duplicated part and tells the Rangers that they can now combine all of their Zords into the Zenith Megazord. In the new configuration, the Rangers begin fighting back against the second Reflex Bot. As they prepare their Megazord's primary weapon, back in the lab, Tenaya 7 asks Dr. K if she had planned all of the evens that had transpired in the episode. She replies that she did plan it out this way as she picks up her violin and begins playing it, activating the lab's ventilation systems. The Rangers finish off the Reflex Bot, and Dr. K successfully defeats Tenaya 7 as she is blown away from the lab by the ventilation systems.

The episode ends with Dr. K shedding a tear, and then another flashback appears of Dr. K escaping Alphabet Soup and making her way to Corinth. The end shot shows two pieces of string, one in gold, another in silver. This was part of the wrapping Gem and Gemma used to give their present to Dr. K.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The episode explains the origins of the Ranger Series technology and also of Venjix. Dr. K had been responsible for both projects during her time at Alphabet Soup. However, it does not show exactly how Dr. K and Alphabet Soup managed to tap into the universal bio-field referred to in the episode "Rain" for the Ranger project.

Characters

• The episode introduces the origins of Dr. K as part of the Alphabet Soup think tank she alluded to in the episode "Ranger Yellow, Part 2". Her experiences at Alphabet Soup provide a likely explanation of both Dr. K's cold treatment towards the Ranger Series Operators and also her aversion to going outside.
• This episode marks the introduction of Gem and Gemma, played by Mike Ginn and Li-Ming Hu respectively.
• The episode shows that Dr. K had always been someone of high intelligence but having low emotional responses. She is shown drawing complicated formulae on the sidewalk at age 5, showing her intelligence level. However, she has had very little human contact following her abduction by Alphabet Soup operatives until the arrival of Gem and Gemma, who force Dr. K into opening up emotionally.
• The episode reveals that Dr. K no longer remembers her real name and has adopted the identify of "K" and later "Dr. K", her code name from her time at Alphabet Soup.

Referbacks

• During the fourth flashback, Dr. K sends out the message she recorded during the opening sequence of the first episode of the series ("The Road to Corinth"). She says it in a more frantic pace as she, at this moment, is attempting to flee Alphabet Soup as Venjix attacks the facility.
• Some of the flashback clips reappear in the episode "If Venjix Won", most notably Dr. K's failed attempt at escaping Alphabet Soup and releasing the Venjix Virus, and her growing up at Alphabet Soup. Ziggy asks Dr. K, while they are trapped in a cave, why she wanted to go outside with him. She replies, "Because it's my birthday, and I wanted to go outside." This refers to the many times she celebrated her birthday at Alphabet Soup, with her asking her handlers if she could go outside--a request they frequently denied for devious reasons.

Trivia

The Show

• This is the first time that a mentor character on Power Rangers is directly responsible for the creation of the season's main villain, leading to the dire situation introduced during the first episode of RPM.
• The violin piece in the episode is Paganini's "Caprice no. 24 in A minor."

Behind the Scenes

• According to Olivia Tennet's profile on the Karen Kay Management website (an Auckland-based talent agency), she can play the violin. Although it is obvious that the bowing does not sync with the song being played, it shows that she has had experience with playing the violin.

Memorable Moments

• Gem and Gemma celebrating Dr. K's birthday and giving her their gift counts as a very tender, heartwarming moment for the otherwise cold and aloof genius.
• The Rangers battle the Reflex Bot inside the Zenith Megazord as Dr. K plays the violin fighting against Tenaya 7. The violin music replaces the standard battle music usually heard in the episodes.
• All of Dr. K's flashbacks are memorable moments as they reveal the origins behind the genius the Rangers work with every day.

Quotes

[The Rangers argue with Dr. K at her desk over what to do about Venjix. Ziggy interrupts the argument.] Ziggy Grover: Hold it! Hold it! Hold everything, people. In times like this, there is one question that needs to be answered: Are we, or are we not, the good guys? Dr. K: [Curiously] Tell me, what's it like? Ziggy Grover: [Leaning in] What's what like? Dr. K: Being stupid your whole life. Is it as wonderful as it seems?

[During the flashbacks, Dr. K celebrates her presumably 14th birthday while at Alphabet Soup.] Male Government Worker: Happy Birthday, K! [He and his partner clap as Dr. K blows out her birthday cake's candles. The handlers take the cake away and give her a notebook computer.] Female Government Worker: K, we need you to write us a very special computer program. Dr. K: Can I go outside? Male Government Worker: Outside? Sorry, honey. You're still very, very allergic to the sun. Female Government Worker: Maybe next year. Now, don't forget to make your wish. Male Government Worker: You do have a wish, don't you? Dr. K: I wish I could remember my name.

[The handlers introduce Dr. K to Gem and Gemma. They run up the stairs to Dr. K's room, smiling and acting very giddy.] Gem: Hello-- Gemma: Dr. K! Gem: I'm Gem-- Gemma: And I'm Gemma! Gem: We're going to have so much fun working together. Gemma: Just tell us what we can do! Dr. K: [Irritated] You can stop talking like that. Gem: Like-- Gemma: What?

[Dr. K celebrates another birthday, this time with the twins.] Gem: Happy Birthday! Gemma: And surprise! [The twins hand her a present wrapped in a white paper, tied with gold and silver strings.] Dr. K: For me? But why? Gem: It's your birthday-- Gemma: And we're friends! [They sit down in front of Dr. K as she unwraps her gift: a pencil with five colors.] Dr. K: Gem, Gemma, you two should know I don't even like you. [Gem and Gemma look at each other, then smile back at Dr. K.] Gem: That's okay, we know. Gemma: But we can still like you, can't we?

[Dr. K types frantically on her keyboard. She then stops and grabs her sound cannon as Tenaya 7 whistles "The Farmer in the Dell".] Tenaya 7: You pride yourself on how smart you are, don't you? But you still royally messed up, didn't you? [This angers Dr. K, causing her to fire her sound cannon repeatedly. Another flashback begins with Dr. K speaking to a computer.] Dr. K: A year later, it was estimated that Venjix had already infected thirty-seven percent of the world's computer systems. But it's not over, not yet. [Explosions rock Alphabet Soup as Venjix attacks the facility.] Dr. K: If you can hear my voice, please go now to the domed city of Corinth. It's the only place we can be safe. But you have to make it inside the city walls before the defense shield is activated. Please, hurry! [More explosions. Dr. K attempts to leave with the Ranger technology in a suitcase. The Alphabet Soup handlers stop her.] Male Government Worker: Sorry, Dr. K. Give us the computer. It's for your own good. Female Government Worker: Sorry, K. No one can know that Venjix started here. [More explosions.] Dr. K: This Ranger technology is our only chance of fighting Venjix. I have to get it out of here! [The handlers draw blasters.] Male Government Worker: I'm sorry, Dr. K. [Off screen, the two handers have been beat up. Gem and Gemma appear from behind them.] Dr. K: I'm glad we're friends! Gem: Oh, yeah, so-- Gemma: Are we! [Another, more intense explosion rocks the facility, causing alarms to go off.] Gem: Head for the exit, Doctor. Gemma: We're going back for the classified Gold and Silver Series. [They run off in search for the morphers.] Dr. K: [frantically] Gem, Gemma, wait! No, we don't have time! [Another explosion kicks up dust behind Gem and Gemma. Dr. K thinks they have perished.] Dr. K: GEM, GEMMA, NO! [Back in the present, Dr. K appears emotionally exhausted. Tenaya 7 reappears behind the malfunctioned Reflex Bot.] Tenaya 7: Thanks! I've really been waiting one of your sound cannons. [She opens the mirror as Dr. K moves out of its path, and the mirror points to the flux overthruster. It replicates the part.] Dr. K: And I've really been wanting one of THESE! [She grabs the part, fending off Tenaya 7, and now puts it in its place.]

Tenaya 7: [Drawing a blaster] Be honest: Leading me in here, tricking me into using the mirror--how much of it was your doing? Dr. K: [Grabs her violin] All of it. [Starts playing Paganini's Caprice No. 24 in A minor.] Tenaya 7: [Covering her ears] Not the violin again!