Chloe Ashford, played by Meghan Camarena aka Strawbury17, is the pink Hyper Force Ranger. Chloe Ashford loves burritos. Chloe Ashford can be very sneaky. Chloe Ashford wants to stay in her Battlizer. Chloe Ashford is a girl on a mission. Chloe Ashford can bend any force around her. Chloe Ashford wants it all. Chloe Ashford gets what she wants. Why can’t we all be like Chloe Ashford?

Well…there’s a reason for that…

But first let’s do some basic Psychology 101. You know that thing most of us ignore because you never thought you were going to use it again and why do I have to learn psychology 101 as an english major? Well it comes in handy here.

The Human Personality, part of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic personality theory, is broken up into three parts: The Id, The Ego, and The Superego. The id is the basic part of the personality. The Id is our need to have all of our wants and needs met by instant gratification. If those needs aren’t met, we tend to become tense or anxious.

Example: Vesper is wants to go inside the secret building. Instead of waiting to get the key to the door, she yanks Eddie’s Rangerbud wrench and smashes the door in. Eddie is thrown off guard and the wrench ends up damage.

The Ego involves trying to meet desires those desires in a socially acceptable in the world. This part recognizes that everyone has wants and needs and that doing anything to hinder others from having those desires met isn’t okay. Being selfish hurts more than being unselfish in the long run.

Example: Vesper wants to go inside the secret building. However, she knows that Marv will be back with the key momentarily, even though she really wants to smash the door with Eddie’s Rangerbud wrench.

The Superego adds morals into the mix. This is where we understand our morals and values. The superego is about if a decision is right or wrong while the ego focuses on what others might think of them. The two “usually” work besides each other for individuals to make the “right” decision.

Example: Vesper wants to go inside the secret building. She could break the door down with the Rangerbud wrench but damaging someone else’s things is not okay. Oh and something something

not the ranger way”.

If you look up imagery examples of the Id, Ego, and Superego you’ll probably see the Id depicted as the devil and the Superego as an angel. Well that’s a very super simplified explanation of the human psyche. There are times when the Superego and Ego help in making the right decision…but that doesn’t mean the ID is truly evil. It just means that the ID isn’t there for show or clouded by someone else’s idea of morality, it’s there to get the job done.

Okay, now that we got that out the way let’s talk about Chloe Ashford. Chloe Ashford is a force of nature in more ways than one. She’s charismatic, adventurous, hungry, excitable, and a master of pulling strings. Chloe represents the ID but also the person able to push other’s in the direction of where she’s head…she has an understanding of everyone’s Ego and Superego. So how does this work?

Chloe the ID…

Meghan Camarena aka Strawbury17

Chloe believes in positive gratification over altruistic sacrifice. Pain sucks, and anything to prevent that pain is a good thing in the eyes of Chloe…within reason of course. Chloe is about caring for the self before being able to care for others…a direct opposite to Eddie when dealing with teammates.

She believes in moving forward in getting what you want rather than over thinking about the steps to take towards that goal, the people and variables involved, and how that makes her look. If Chloe wants a burrito, she’s going to get that burrito by any means (whether it’s made of sewer animal meat or candy corn). Chloe wants to find out what happens to her parents, well f*ck protocol and rank, Miss Ashford wants answers.

Chloe hates pain and struggle because those things are hindrance to what she wants. She’s from a life less privileged than most and things like experiencing candy corn, being able to make burritos, and becoming a power rangers are all about fulfilling an extreme need that was never satisfied. Chloe’s story is about fulfilling a life without: A life without parents, answers, food, and people supporting her dreams.

When she was caught stealing from the evidence room, she made no attempt at trying to save face or make other’s see her in a better light…she was focused on her goal of finding out what happened to her parents. Her personality doesn’t allow her to care about putting on “airs” for anyone. She knows what she wants and gets what she wants. The rules matter, yes, but sometimes those rules need to be broken. She’s the polar opposite of Jack in this way possible.

Those things have made her antsy, excitable, and sometimes her methods seem strange. But it’s through this nature that she’s built up all of her skills as a master of subterfuge.

Chloe the master of subterfuge?

Yes you read that subtitle right, Chloe is a master of subterfuge and here’s how. Chloe, while not focusing most of her personality with an ego or superego, understands other’s personality traits and ticks. She knows what buttons to push and when to push them. She knows her duty as a ranger come first, but that doesn’t mean she can’t pull some strings every now and then.

She understood Jack’s nature to do everything by the book and offers up ideas to him that allows him to do so while also playing the “Bad Cop…”, “Strange Cop…”, “Crazy Cop…?” role when investigating the alliance in episode 16. In episode 4 and 5 of Hyper Force, Chloe was able to address/redirect Marv’s reckless nature and needs to impress others by constantly making face his Ego. She gets him to see that his recklessness and sulking as a leader hurts everyone more than just himself.

With Doggie Kruger and Detective Song’s interrogation, she watches and searches for button she could push while playing the role of a ditzy ranger. This ended with them both becoming mentally and emotionally frustrated by this eccentric ranger. She understood that this was them trying to pull rank and proceeded to poke fun at the attempt. She was able to push back against them in a way that Marv couldn’t do as a leader. Chloe, excitable as she, is able to sneak into places others can’t get around. She’s a master of disguise even when her disguise should make her look a little bit more suspicious than the others (example: Chloe’s Pink Battlizer and Trench Coat).

Her antics are tamed versions of Hyper Rpgs’ former comic book rpg “Valiant Vanquished” and yet she has a better understanding of her emotions and duty far beyond anything the “heroes” in that story could ever muster. She knows people, better than they know themselves.

This has to do with her wearing masks. She understands the role she plays as a ranger, an officer, and as of recently “a hero”. Those masks are important because like the armor she wears, protect her from harm and helps her get the job done. But Chloe also understands that she has goals in mind that will not always align with what everyone wants and it’s her job to find the best course to complete that mission.

And she’s able to do this because she is like the wind. She can move around individuals and push them to her will. She can make people believe that her wants are also theirs, no matter how ridiculous. She can move around unmovable forces like Jack, redirect the passion of Marv, bend the logic of Vesper, and pull the confidence out of Eddie. This is both her strength but also can be damaging.

Her conscious lack of an ego/superego makes her powerful and yet it’s a power can hurt others. It’s something that’s she’s slowly realizing and something that has become interesting to watch. So when you watch Hyper Force tonight, keep an eye on Chloe and watch for the strings being pulled. You might find that the young pink ranger is a lot cleverer than meets the eye. Or she could just be hungry for a burrito.

Chloe the Rebel…

But this comes down to what Chloe represents. Chloe represents youthful rebellion, or the need to break away from the mold and the chains that keep you from moving forward. She represents to ending of tradition and the rejection of social status. She makes a great ranger because she questions the ideas of “Rangerhood”.

This is represented with her having a Battlizer from Guinevere, a passing of a torch and a dawning of a new era. Old traditions are evolving. Who was once considered a perfect candidate of being a ranger is changing. To face the new dangers ahead of them, you need a ranger who can push against multiple forces that keep them from saving others. A ranger who might have to break the rules of both “Rangerhood” but also time, because like the wind, Chloe cannot be tamed by the forces of time and the forces of power.

Chloe is the pink ranger we all wish we could be, but are too afraid to be. Chloe is the person unafraid to be themselves, and we could all be like Chloe…but we all can’t be a brave and as rebellious as Chloe.

Thanks for reading ranger fans.

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