Time For Something to Fight For

Wes becomes a permanent team member and begins to prove himself. What sets him apart from Tatsuya is that Tatsuya, through the writing and Masaru Nagai's smug satisfaction, is depicted as pretty saintlike. He's grown up and benefited from a rich life, but he wants to rebel and make his own name. I get what the show's going for, but it all comes across as so empty and self-centered to me. He comes across to me like a whiny brat. Wes, he's shown to be frivolous and care-free, but he has a good heart. He's a good person, just trapped in his life, cordoned off from others, stuck in his own world. There's just something more heroic about Wes and the way Jason Faunt plays him.

Jen calls him out on never having to worry about anything or anyone other than himself, and it hits him, because he knows that's mostly true. That paints him in a kind of negative light, giving him a flaw -- he knows he's more, he knows he has more to offer, he's not just some spoiled partyboy, but he's never seen an opening that allows him to aspire to be more. He cares and wants to do good. He's always been underestimated. Tatsuya is very much a whiny Anakin Christensen sort of "He's holding me back!" brat. He's supposed to be sympathetic, but he really isn't. Overall, Wes's place on the team actually feels earned, he proves himself again and again, compared to Tatsuya. The Time Force officers not only accept Wes for being good in a fight, but out of necessity. There's just something more dramatically satisfying the way Time Force handles it. Timeranger's priority was just in getting the show started, screw logic. They're basically like "Eh, we need a Red. OK, you're in charge, nobody!"

The tension between Jen, Wes and the other Rangers also brings something different to the Power Ranger franchise -- friction amongst the heroes. Never before has the franchise really shown characters to butt heads and argue so much. So many times in the shows prior to Time Force, misunderstandings would be microscopic and end in a hug or be the result of brainwashing. Not Time Force, where it's often a clash of personalities.