VR Troopers Episode 5 Kaitlin's Front Page

Well hello there everybody welcome to another Magic Happy VR Troopers Review, and today we are looking at Kaitlin’s Front Page written by Robert Hughes, and directed by Debra Spelling

So we start off with today’s “My dad taught me” moment, and this time it’s actually pretty good since it’s about how Ryan’s dad taught him to have faith in people but also be careful who you place that faith in which is actually a pretty cool message I think.

we then go to the Underground Voice Daily office where Woody is throwing paper airplanes around while Kaitlin is talking to strange man who looks like a poor man’s Dick Tracy who’s telling her that there’s some secret illegal weapons site just outside Crossworld City, and that he has a map to it, and says the only way to stop it is to expose it in the media but refuses to say who he is.

He then goes outside, and surprise surprise he’s really a Skug transforms into his true form, and teleports to Ziktor’s office where back in human form he tells Ziktor that Kaitlin’s probably on her way to the weapons site so Ziktor tells him, the Skug secretaries to go there, and be ready.

He then gloats before transforming into Grimlord, and teleporting to the virtual dungeon. Once there the virtual mutants hail him before he explains what his evil plan is which is to capture Kaitlin when she gets to the weapons site so that he can use her as bait to destroy the VR Troopers.

Meanwhile at Tao Dojo Ryan is teaching a Karate class, and afterwards goes back to talk to Tao tell him the kids are looking better everyday (that doesn’t sound right) when Kaitlin calls them to say that she is in fact checking out the story she got, and wants Ryan, and JB to come with her.

Ryan has another class while JB wants to go but has help Tao with his paperwork so she’ll have to go to the weapons site by herself while they wait unil the afternoon to talk to her about it

Kaitlin then drives out to the weapons site while Air Striker watches, and checks with Grimlord who tells him to do nothing but observe her.

Kaitlin then gets out of her car sees the weapons site, and walks over to a hill where she takes pictures of workers moving explosives before taking out her tape recorder to take notes when a bunch of workers come up to her.

Kaitlin tries to pretend that she’s just a tourist taking pictures of rock formations hoping to get them to leave but they turn out to be Skugs, and attack her.

Kaitlin kicks the Skugs away from her but then two try to grab her but she kicks those as well, and another tries to grab her but she flips it over, and takes a defensive stance while they circle her.

At the Virtual Dungeon Zelton or Decimator (I’m honestly not sure who since they’re both Michael Sorich) informs Grimlord that the Skugs are losing so he orders the fight be taken to the Battle Grid.

We then get another Troopers less Battle Grid alert Prepare for Battle Grid mode before Kaitlin transforms into Battle Grid mode by herself, and we get to see a full portal sequence with just Kaitlin.

Which instead of the usual from behind, from side, from front, from behind we get from behind, from front, from side, from behind.

We then see Kaitlin land in the Battle Grid where she taunts the Skugs hoping to get them to come out which they do so she jumps into the air before twirling mid air, and landing, and starts kicking the Skugs,

The Skugs then try to circle Kaitlin while she points out that they just keep coming when the Skug make hatchets appear, and try to hit her but she just punches them into each other disintegrating them.
Kaitlin then backflips for a bit before saying she doesn’t how much longer she can do this before punching, kicking, and flipping some more Skugs.

Kaitlin then points around and proclaims how the Skugs may be tough but it’s not over yet, and jumps into the air, and performs some weird swan dive/scissor punch attack that destroys some more Skugs.

Then we see the exact same punching, kicking, and flipping we saw earlier only this time at the end Kaitlin proclaims she can’t keep it up, and that’s it it just cuts to the Underground Voice Daily.

Ryan, and JB are wondering what happened to Kaitlin who was supposed to be their over an hour ago so they ask Woody who’s doing a comedy bit where he tells a reporter to do a good story but doesn’t know what about, and afterwards Ryan, and JB ask him if he know where Kaitlin is which he doesn’t.

We then cut back to the weapons site where Kaitlin who has already transformed back into Sarah Brown offscreen is being tied to a bomb by Skugs, and starts taunting them.

While back at the Underground Voice Daily Ryan, and JB are checking Kaitlin’s computer to find it empty so they decide to use the aerial scanner at the lab we then see them riding their backs to the lab while Air Striker watches, and Grimlord tells him to just keep watching.

At the lab we then see Jeb sing his number one smash hit the Doggy Rap before Ryan pulls out a dog whistle so JB can ask the professor to use the aerial scanner which actually confuses him since he doesn’t know she’s missing (even though he was the one who had her transform into Battle Grid mode earlier).

We then cut back to Kaitlin at the weapons site only to immedtiatley cut back to JB hacking into a weather sattlite to find Kaitlin at the weapons site by tracking her virtualizer.

Meanwhile at the virtual dungeon Grimlord asks General Ivar, and a heretofore unseen, and currently unnamed Colnol Icebot who should be today’s monsters, and Ivar picks a blue, and silver robot with oversized fists named Metalbot while Icebot suggests Cobrot (not Cobrabot Cobrot) a red snake like robot with two arms but no legs, and Grimlord chooses both.

We then see Ryan, and JB drive to the weapons site while Air Striker watches (again), and Grimlord tells him to just keep watching (again), and we then see Ryan, and JB arrive at the weapons site to see Kaitlin, and the Skugs but Kaitlin warns them it’s a trap, and Metalbot, and Cobrot show up so it’s Trooper time kids.

Ryan goes after Metalbot who just skips around, and taunts him and tries to punch but Ryan blocks but Metalbot, and him jump up to a hill.

While JB goes after Cobrot with his laser saber while Cobrot blocks with her bow, trips him with her tail so he tries to get up but Cobrot keeps tripping, and hitting him with her tail but JB eventually blocks it, and jump kicks Cobrot.

JB check in on Ryan who tries to punch Metalbot who punches back causing an earthquake, and they keep punching each other until Metalbot gains the upper hand and punches Ryan repeatedly until Ryan is able to grab him, and flips him over while JB fires lasers at Cobrot who just fires arrows at him.

Ryan charges at Metalbot who keeps punching him while JB keeps getting grabbed by Cobrot’s tail, and shot at byt her arrows, and the timer on the bomb is counting down.

Ryan is still getting beat up by Metalbot but charges up his powers, and starts kicking Metalbot, and gaining an advantage.

JB on the other hand isn’t so lucky still being grabbed, and shot at by Cobrot while Metalbot turns his eyes into tentacles, and fires lasers at Ryan who just jumps out of the way.

JB meanwhile finally decides to use his laser lance to destroy Cobrot while Ryan uses an attack called laser fist command to punch Metalbot also destroying him, and the two are able to rescue Kailtin, and escape before the weapons site is destroyed, and at the virtual dungeon Grimlord proclaims he will no longer tolerate failure (spoilers there’s still 87 episodes which means he will).

At the Underground Voice Daily Ryan, and JB meet up with Kaitlin who tells them that not only did her story make the front page (we have a title people) but also lead to the weapons site being closed down.

Woody then tells Kaitlin to do a story on a spelling bee but she wants to do real news so he suggests a story on the VR Troopers leading to one last comedy bit where they joke around about whether to do it or if anyone would believe it.

Anyway “I miss my dad” the end.

Final Thoughts

This episode was okay it wasn’t the worst ever but it was the worst of the ones I have reviewed so far.

I mostly blame it on the fact that it’s a damsel in distress episode especially since they usually trout out Kaitlin as this tough tomboyish woman of the 90’s who can do anything the boys can.

I get that in Spielban Diana was more of a sexy sidekick who didn’t even have a finisher, and sometimes they didn’t have footage but they still had vehicle battles, and Battle Grid mode.

Which remimds me that this episode brings up my one real pet peeve with the Battle Grid concept which is that the Battle Grid fight seems tacked on as an afterthought because they needed to pad the runtime or because Sarah Brown wanted at least one transformed fight this episode.

I wouldn’t care if they either saved the Battle Grid fight for another episode, and had Kaitlin win or at least actually showed her being defeated instead of just cutting off.

What also bugs me is that in the Spielban episode they used Diana had a tank battle with Deathzero (Ivar), and was even the one who hurt the monster enough for Spielban to beat it.

Plus considering over half the monster fight from Spielban was cut for this episode it makes me wonder why not just use a different Spielban episode.

Also I didn’t like the parts with Air Striker or the constant cutting back, and forth.

Not much to say on the Metalder front since the only things they left out where part of the Topgunder arc which we’ll see in Defending Dark Hart.

I did like the comedy bits with Woody, and Jeb, and aside from the editing I did like the fight scenes.

Do I think I could have done a better job than Robert Hughes or Debra Spelling? Probably not but maybe a better job than Terry Chiappe, Shawn Paper, Matthew Silver, and David P. Frediani.

Tune in next time everyone for more Magic Happy VR Troopers Reviews.