Revisiting The Meadow/Vulgyre Revelation On Fiveman's 30th Anniversary (Spoilers)

 

Chikyu Sentai Fiveman is that near-franchise killer that got Vindicated by History. By now, I realized that it was a necessary failure that would give us Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive. Fiveman even has an OFFICIAL DVD release -- something that I never thought would work! I've actually used GoGoFive to spot most of the mistakes done with Fiveman than I would to with Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. I looked at Fiveman and thought of something I berated a lot -- the Meadow/Vulgyre Connection.

I revisited the Wizard of Oz movies starring the late Judy Garland. The Great and Magnificent Oz was actually a projection of a con man named Oscar Diggs. The books gave a different story. Oz showed the illusion of a green fairy to the Scarecrow. This makes me think that what if the idea of Empress Meadow was actually done in the same vein? Was I too harsh with the revelation especially after seeing Grand B*tch Grandienne in action in GoGoFive?

Episode 42 may have been the hint many fans missed. The demoted Garoa was about to enter one area of the Vulgyre -- seeing an UNFAMILIAR AREA. Vulgyre's just too gigantic that anybody living in it may have missed its (or HIS) deadly secrets. That episode had Meadow turn reddish and angry. The episode involved framing the Fivemen through the Ginga Sentai (to avoid confusing with the official Gingaman team). Chevalier stole the powers of the Fivemen and made the Fivemen's public persona look bad. Chevalier's plan here was probably more effective than what Bandora did. Bandora COULD'VE stolen the Zyurangers' powers first! So yeah, more points to Fiveman over the Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger episode! 

Episode 43 had one scene where Chevalier shows his contempt for Garoa. The Silver Imperial Army Zone members start to notice SOMETHING BREATHING inside Vulgyre. Chevalier forces Garoa to enter that room. One must start to get suspicious why one could hear ORGANIC BREATHING within Vulgyre. Why did Meadow's image change to an angrier, more malevonent one after Garoa entered the room. Why would Meadow be so desperate to ask Chevalier NOT to "waste" his time? Something suspicious is truly about to happen! Episode 44 would be where Garoa finds the mysterious energy inside Vulgyre -- unaware that Vulgyre is actually a LIVING BEING!

Fiveman episode 46 is the turning point. Hints of Vulgyre being a LIVING BEING were already hinted in episode 42. Why was there a red aura that came out and Meadow was suddenly turned red? Was that already a subtle hint that Meadow wasn't a real person but an illusion? It was a hint to the AUDIENCE but not to the Zone generals. It's really nightmare fuel even if I saw this scene as a TEENAGER. Five Red stabs the floor and out comes GASTRIC JUICE? For Vulgyre, it's probably just an ant bite to him given his TREMENDOUS SIZE. Five Red was previously caught in stone, but gastric juices freed him. Five Red reveals the horrible truth to the Zone troopers, telling them the deception they're in. This is something NOT allowed in newer Super Sentai series today! 

Hints from episode 42 start to build up to episode 46. Why was there that mysterious energy inside Vulgyre since episode 42? Meadow was always considered that mysterious figure. Meadow started speaking, telling the Zone generals that every planet destroyed FED ON VULGYRE. Vulgyre launched the attack while still speaking through the Meadow persona. Meadow's illusion broke off and a tyrannical, nightmarish voice, done by the late Seizo Kato, starts to speach. It's a tremendously evil voice. Dordora's reaction to realizing Meadow was just an illusion is a huge betrayall. Dordora goes crazy and is forcibly combined with Zaza to become Baradolgin. The Tagalog dub erroneously had Meadow gloating, "He is the king and I am the queen." That dialogue wasn't in the OG script!

This is what you'd call decades (or possibly centuries) of betrayal. The members of Zone probably age a lot slower than people on Earth. Maybe, that's why Vulgyre targeted Earth as the 1,000 planet -- because people on Earth age faster than his generals! Vulgyre probably targeted Earth as well because Earth is considered the treasure of the Universe. Vulgyre could've chosen any planet, but he chose Earth. Vulgyre had also puppetted Chevalier the whole time -- by even projecting the image of a weeping Meadow to him. Chevalier was revealed to have been set up the whole time -- created a devoted servant that will just be KILLED OFF one day. Chevalier might be a goofy villain BUT it's believable that he murdered that many people. In fact, Chevalier was the show saver that allowed ratings to go up!

It's hard not to compare Star King Bazoo to Ego the Living Planet from Marvel Comics. Vulgyre is practically Galactus from Marvel Comics. Both villains eat a planet's life energy. Like Galactus, Vulgyre also forces certain people to be his heralds such as the Zone generals. Vulgyre would later crack into a real scary villain. I'd say that Vulgyre has an ego as big as his size. The fact Vulgyre could even ONE UP AN ULTRAZORD (something most villains couldn't do today) is a marvel. Let's face it Dai Satan retreated the first time it faced off against Kyukyoku Daizyujin. Dai Satan was later destroyed by Kyukyoku Daizyujin (finally). Vulgyre owning the Max Magma is one nightmarish scenario. However, Vulgyre's only weakness was the Sidon Flowers -- because they sprang out out from one of the planets he ordered to be destroyed. Kind of makes sense actually since Vulgyre feeds on death. The flowers are a REVERSAL of his agenda -- that's why he wanted them destroyed. 

Vulgyre's darkest secret contained the one locked room. This room was probably locked until Vulgyre hatched to become a giant monster. The Fivemen enter and discover that there was indeed a real Meadow. The Fivemen even called the woman in the coffin -- Galactic Empress Meadow. The already insane Garoa (who was obsessed with the captaincy) even called the woman Meadow-Sama. It turns out that Meadow was a woman whom Vulgyre lusted after. I don't know if this is meant to be a WTF moment. Why would Vulgyre a monster that's bigger than the Megazords -- want an alien woman that small?! I assumed Meadow is from the Planet Sidon. Meadow being released by the Sidon Flowers may be a clue she was a Sidonian woman. Meadow was Vulgyre's choice for a bride. I can assume Meadow was about to be forcibly transformed into a gigantic beast, but she fell off. Talk about creepy as Vulgyre actually imprisoned Meadow's CORPSE in his own body -- all the while he used her IMAGE to give orders. Galactus did force some people to work under him as well! 

A similarity to Star King Bazoo

Changeman premiered on 1985. Kato voiced a previously holographic character known as Star King Bazoo. I couldn't understand Toei's logic behind having Bazoo project a limbless torso that's on life support -- all the while CAPABLE of much harm. Was this to project a nightmare fuel of sorts? Bazoo was a mysterious foe that could cause harm but COULD never be hit. There were some faint clues in certain episodes on who Bazoo was. In reality, Bazoo was actually an Expy for Ego the Living Planet from Marvel Comics. Ego also ate other lifeforms and sought to become bigger. Marvel also had characters known as the Rigelians. Coincidence?

Both Bazoo and Vulgyre operated by recruiting various forces across the Universe. Both of them used projections. However, Vulgyre used the beautiful image of the woman he lusted after to lure various aliens for his universal conquest. Both sought power by devouring worlds. Bazoo sought to devour Earth in the final episode. Vulgyre sought to destroy Earth so he could have the final energy and become a god. The key to Bazoo's defeat was from the first planet he destroyed -- Merrill. The key to Vulgyre's defeat was from the first planet he destroyed -- Sidon. Well, technically, the Sidon flowers contained the positive energy that could weaken Vulgyre to the point of vulnerability.

I found Bazoo's defeat to be rather well -- just there! Sure, it's awesome for a Megazord to enter Bazoo's core and destroy him from what weak spot. However, it seems that the writers practically had no idea what to do anymore. So much for Changeman having had five more episodes! The Changemen risked it all though. It's possible that Soda revisited that final moment and decided to give Vulgyre a real bloody finale. Soda probably revisited Bazoo's finale and thought, "What if I'll make it more devastating?" Basically, Fiveman's finale was really intense. 

How it may have inspired GoGoFive's main villain Grandienne

What should be interesting is that Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive actually revisited the idea. Zyuranger created Dai Satan -- a gigantic head that flew from the sky and was the Bigger Bad of the series. However, Dai Satan only spoke in growls for some reason. Minus points gain for Zyuranger in that area! GoGoFive gave us Grand B*tch Grandienne who I often called Meadow Done Right. Meadow was dismissed as an illusion -- presumably because the writers had no idea how to get rid of her. Fortunately, they placed some hints that something was wrong with Vulgyre. It suddenly made some sense that Meadow was just an illusion projected by Vulgyre. Episode 42 already showed that hint! However, GoGoFive created a Corrupted Character Copy of Meadow in Grandienne. Grandienne, unlike Meadow, was an actual villain (and Big Bad) and projected her TRUE FACE before people.

Grandienne gained a physical body that was later destroyed. GoGoFive didn't only revisit Ninja Sentai Kakuranger but also Fiveman. The idea of an evil woman feeding on death energy was somehow actualized with Grandienne herself. Grandienne would later envelope the Earth as Negative Energy personified. It seems Meadow was supposed to envelope the Earth but Hirohisa Soda had no idea how to write her off. Instead, Soda probably said, "Okay, let's write her off as an illusion." I can only speculate that Junki Takegami saw through whatever Soda had planned before and decided to carry out the worst-case scenario he could for the heroes. GoGoFive's finale may have beaten Fiveman's finale in miles. It took a last-minute Megazord called Max Victory Robo Black Version -- one that required the Tatsumi siblings to UNIFY their life force as one.

Both Grandienne and Vulgyre have their obsession with deaths in common. Both villains fight sibling teams. Both of them don't treat their subordinates any better. In fact, Grandienne has also threatened Zylpheeza with a severe demotion before turning Drop into Salamandes. Salamandes was later put in charge of his older siblings. However, none of the children were truly safe from their mother's It's All About Me. Grandienne is probably what Meadow could've been if the writers chose not to give that Massive Plot Twist. Grandienne is still better written than what Meadow was IMHO. Meadow was probably just an experiment and the writers said, "We can't think of how to get rid of her." However, GoGoFive probably revisited that moment and said, "Okay, let's make take Meadow and make her an actual villain, not just a villain persona, and find a creative way to destroy her." 

Either way, there's really a lot of interesting stuff to learn from past mistakes. Meadow's revelation can feel rushed or a result of NOT knowing what to do. Grandienne's execution would've probably have never been possible without Meadow!