Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 1, Episode 21: Green with Evil, Part V: Breaking the Spell

What did I say?  The fifth part in the Green with Evil story arc would wrap the entire thing up fairly nicely.  The entire arc was just like one long episode, split into five twenty minute portions.  It was like watching a movie made from the first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

There are going to be a few changes to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers now that this arc has come to an end.  Some of the changes were brought forward through this specific episode, but many were laid down throughout the arc.  The most notable is a new character named Tommy Oliver who will now be a large part of the series going forward.  This story was meant to introduce him into the series and introduce it did.  We, as viewers, already care about the character after all that he’s been through.  Other things deserve the episode summary to describe, so I’ll get to that now.

Season 1, Episode 21: Green with Evil, Part V: Breaking the Spell

The Power Rangers just discovered that Tommy Oliver is the Green Ranger.  When Kimberly confronts him about it, Tommy reveals that he has known which characters were the Power Rangers the entire time.  When Kimberly tells the gang about this reveal, Trini also tells them that the Green Ranger is attacking Angel Grove in his dragonzord.

The Power Rangers go to defend the city against the Green Ranger.  They can’t do much, though.  Their zords were destroyed in the last battle.  Only, they weren’t.  When Alpha 5 manages to get Zordon back, Zordon brings the zords back, and the Power Rangers are able to put up a good fight.

After an extensive battle, the Red Ranger and the Green Ranger jump out of the zords and begin to swordfight.  Zordon lets Jason know that the only way to break Rita’s spell on Tommy is to destroy the sword of darkness or whatever it’s called.  Jason destroys it and saves Tommy, obviously.

The final scene of the episode is Zordon inducting Tommy into the Power Rangers.  The Power Rangers are now a team of six instead of five.  The Green Ranger is one of them now.  Zordon also lets the team know that they have a new Megazord to work with.  If the dragonzord combines with the mastodon, triceratops, and sabre-toothed tiger, it will create a new fighting machine.  Then the episode ends on a freeze frame jumping high five.

This is the first episode in five episodes that has ended happily.  I guess that was to be expected with the conclusion of the heaviest arc that the series has thrown our way yet.  Mighty Morphin Power Rangers never fails to ultimately give a happy ending.  The induction of a new Ranger is probably the happiest ending yet.  There is someone else on their side to help take down Rita Repulsa and her crew of crazy creatures.

If my memory serves me right, the team of six will remain a team of six until the Green Candle episodes, at which time Tommy’s time as the Green Ranger will come to an end.  This is if I am remembering correctly.  This means that I should take in as much of the Green Ranger as I can before it’s too late.  He’s here for a good time, not a long time.

The Green with Evil arc was the most mature piece of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series yet.  It brought a depth that was not apparent through the earlier episodes.  There was a threat that the Power Rangers had trouble overcoming.  There were many obstacles that helped to defeat the Power Rangers, even if only temporarily.  It was darker than the light-hearted episodes that preceded it.  A new character was introduced in a fairly convincing way.  What happened in the arc will resonate throughout the remainder of the series.  Green with Evil was a step up for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and gives a lot of promise that the series can grow and become great.

What will future episodes bring?  We’ll find out as I continue my trek through Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  I’ll see you next time when I write about a shocking episode!  You’ll understand that joke next time.